2017 NCAA Tournament: Final Four Predictions
How did your 2017 NCAA Tournament Final Four picks turn out? Did Villanova bust you? Kansas? How about Duke? Did any of you have South Carolina? I only had one team in one bracket and one in the other. The good news is that one of them still has North Carolina winning.
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I am still relegated to round by round duty to get any glory from this tournament. It’s been a wild ride!
So far, I have 43 points in the round by round, if you include the First Four. I’m still in the high middle of the pack, but with each game only being worth one point, it’s a lot more difficult to make up ground this way. Such is the advantage of picking by the round, I guess.
Let’s check out the National Semifinals, and who has a chance to advance to the Championship game!
(1)Gonzaga vs. (7)South Carolina
Gonzaga made pretty short work of Xavier in the West Regional final.The Bulldogs held Trevon Bluiett to just 3-14 shooting and ten points. J.P. Macura picked up some of the slack, but no one else could. Gonzaga’s size ruined Xavier all night.
Gonzaga made their first Final Four! Seems crazy, right? Of all the the tournament success that the Bulldogs have had under Mark Few, they have never made it this far. Not with Adam Morrison. Not with Dan Dickau. Not with Ronny Turiaf. How will they fare on the grand stage?
South Carolina is not supposed to be here. Some people, I wont name names, had them losing to Marquette in the first round. The only think that kept me in it was that I had Marquette beating Duke.
The Gamecocks and Gators moved their SEC battle to basketball mecca (Madison Square Garden) where the Gamecocks became the toast of the town. Sindarius Thornwell once again carried the Gamecocks with 26 points in the East Regional final. The Gamecocks defense locked down the Gators, allowing just three made field goals after the last TV timeout.
South Carolina is another Final Four virgin, though they don’t have the long tournament history that Gonzaga does. Can the miracle run continue for the Gamecocks? With a defense like this, it is certainly possible. However, they haven’t faced a team with the size or shooting prowess that Gonzaga has.
Gonzaga’s defense is no picnic either. They were able to take Xavier’s best player out of the game. Even if they can manage to do that to Thornwell, South Carolina has a much better supporting cast. P.J. Dozier, Duane Notice, Chris Silva, and Maik Kotsar are all capable of making big shots when it counts. Both teams seem to be a team of destiny. Who continues on?
Pick: Gonzaga
(1)North Carolina vs. (3)Oregon:
The Tarheels locked down Kentucky in the first half, particularly De’Aaron Fox, who was also hampered by foul trouble. He picked it up late down the stretch, but Luke Maye put his name in North Carolina lore with an open jumper at the buzzer for the win.
Malik Monk finally got into double digits, but Kentucky lacked a huge playmaker. Justin Jackson was for North Carolina. He led all scorers with 19 points. Kennedy Meeks was a monster up front, hauling in 17 rebounds. Kentucky showed a lot of heart coming back, but this was a game that North Carolina was in control of.
Most, myself included, thought Oregon was cooked when Chris Boucher went down. Where would the Ducks be with him? Would they still be in their first Final Four since the first Final Four? Tyler Dorsey poured it on the Jayhawks with 27 points, but it was Jordan Bell that really controlled the game. He had 11 points, 13 rebounds, and an astounding eight blocked shots.
Kansas really had no chance in this one. They couldn’t hit an outside shot. Once the Jayhawks got behind, you could see them panic. That’s something that usually doesn’t happen. Even player of the year Frank Mason couldn’t do enough to lift the Jayhawks here. He had a team high 21 points, but was just 8-20 from the floor.
Well, this is what passes as the blue blood side of the bracket. Oregon has one previous Final Four appearance, which is one more than the other half of the bracket combined. North Carolina has 20.
This is where the Ducks are really going to miss Chris Boucher. They need him inside to tangle with Kennedy Meeks. Jordan Bell will do a fine job, but they need more. Will Dillon Brooks step up?
There are two elite scorers in this game in Tyler Dorsey and Justin Jackson. They will both get theirs, but what will decide this game will be which supporting cast steps up. Can the Ducks handle North Carolina’s size? Can Jordan Bell dominate in the paint? I do have my doubts.
Pick: North Carolina
Next: How Did I Do? Check Out My Picks From Before The Madness!
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