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NCAA Tournament 2017: Five best potential Final Four matchups

By Will Schreefer

Feb 25, 2017; Dallas, TX, USA; A view of the arena and the banner for the 2017 NCAA Women's Final Four game before the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the New Orleans Pelicans at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 25, 2017; Dallas, TX, USA; A view of the arena and the banner for the 2017 NCAA Women's Final Four game before the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the New Orleans Pelicans at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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Arizona-Baylor

For our fourth matchup, let’s put in a pair of ultra-talented programs who haven’t quite left their mark on the Final Four in this century: the Baylor Bears and Arizona Wildcats.

Baylor has been one of the more intriguing teams in the country all year. After jumping out to a 20-1 record, and holding the No. 1 ranking in the country at one point, the Bears struggled a bit with the back end of their Big 12 schedule. The Bears lost six of their last eleven games, and came into the tournament on a bit of a slide.

They’re still excellent on both sides of the ball. Jonathan Motley is their best player and go-to offensive option, though he does a little bit of everything on both ends. Jo-Lual Acuil is a monster at the back end of the 2-3 zone, and Manu Lecomte is an excellent (though turnover-prone) guiding hand for the offense. They came through in the clutch to advance past USC to the Sweet 16, and will look to keep their run going against Arizona.

Arizona, given the ‘benefit’ of being in the bracket that has Gonzaga as a 1-seed, has been garnering quite a bit of Final Four buzz. It’s certainly not unwarranted. Sean Miller has put together yet another strong squad, and one that’s been growing together since Allonzo Trier was granted eligibility to play this year. They’ve got an excellent offense and defense, and their worst loss on the year is Butler. Loaded with future NBA draft picks — especially sweet-shooting 7-footer Lauri Markkanen — Arizona is one of the most intriguing squads in the tournament.

I’d love to see this Final Four matchup simply because it’s been so long for both sides. Arizona hasn’t been since 2001, while Baylor has been in a drought since 1950. The chance to erase that history for both sides, combined with a matchup between two of the most athletic and long teams left in the tournament, would be a worthy Final Four matchup.

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