In the second of two NCAA Final Four games, the South Region No. 1 North Carolina Tar Heels will take on the Midwest Region No. 3 Oregon Ducks.
As the North Carolina Tar Heels get ready to play in another Final Four, there is really only one thing on their mind. Point guard Joel Berry is the heart and soul of this team, and when he is not on the floor, the Tar Heels are a completely different, and beatable team. There is still no word on his status for Saturday, and hopefully, for Heels fans, a week of rehabbing his ankle has done him good.
If he cannot go, Carolina will need Theo Pinson to step up. That could be hard considering he should have Oregon’s fifth-year senior, Dylan Ennis, in his face all game. Without Berry, the Tar Heels have shown that they struggle to move the ball, which could make it hard for star forward Justin Jackson to get shots up. The matchup between Jackson and Dillon Brooks is going to be a good one, as Brooks was able to take away Kansas star Josh Jackson in the Elite Eight to help the Ducks punch their ticket to the Final Four for the first time since winning the national title in 1939.
Oregon has really been a nice surprise in this tournament, knocking off red-hot Michigan, and No. 1 Kansas in back-to-back games. Not only is Brooks going to have to be key if the Ducks want to pull off the upset, but Jordan Bell needs to be huge down low against the best rebounding team in the country. There are a bunch of good matchups in this game, and it will be interesting to see which team can exploit their opponents weaknesses as the game goes on.
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Luke Maye became a legend in North Carolina with his game-winning shot against Kentucky, and he is going to play another big role in this one. If North Carolina wins the rebounding battle, which they have done all season, it is going to be hard for Oregon to stay with them for 40 minutes. However, the Ducks played incredible defense against Midwest Region No. 1 seed Kansas in the Elite Eight, and another spirited performance could land them in the title game.
Here is how to watch all of the action online.
Date: Saturday, April 1
Time: 8:49 p.m. ET
Location: Glendale, Arizona
Venue: University of Phoenix Stadium
TV Info: CBS
Live Stream: March Madness Live and Fubo.TV
This one has all the markings of an instant classic, as it could be a game that is won on the glass. The Tar Heels have had to battle through arguably the toughest region in the tournament, but it won’t get any easier in this one. Oregon is going to make this one interesting, but in the end, the Tar Heels should be headed for their second consecutive national title game.