The NCAA Tournament has reached the Final Four of March Madness, but how do the four teams stack up against each other? Ranking the Final Four teams.
The NCAA Tournament has reached the end with only four teams left standing for a chance to win the national championship.
Gonzaga remains unbeaten, two other top seeds remain, and UCLA has danced from the First Four to the Final Four.
Of the four teams left, only one has won a national championship, yet UCLA enters the Final Four as a double-digit seed, only the second team in history to advance from the First Four to the Final Four.
Gonzaga, who many expected to be here, is still poised to win the school’s first national championship and finish unbeaten — something that hasn’t been accomplished since Indiana did it in 1975-76.
Meanwhile, Baylor and Houston must go through each other to see who will represent the state of Texas on Monday night. So with only four teams left standing, it’s time to look at how each team stacks up heading into the final weekend of college basketball.
March Madness: Ranking the remaining teams left in
From the First Four to the Final Four, the Bruins are back on college basketball’s biggest stage for the first time since 2008. Like VCU in 2011, UCLA entered the tournament as an 11-seed and strolled down the road using a strong defense and hot shooting. Johnny Juzang’s 18 first-half points and Tyger Campbell’s 11 points were critical in the Bruins’ upset victory over No.1 seed Michigan in the East Region Final.
To earn the school’s 12th national championship, the Bruins will have to take on the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Gonzaga Bulldogs boast an unbeaten 30-0 record and are strong from top to bottom. Should Mick Cronin’s team do what the 2008 team did and send the Bulldogs packing, it would be among the greatest upsets in the history of college basketball.
Winners of the Midwest Region, the Houston Cougars, are back on the biggest stage for the first time since making back-to-back trips to the NCAA Championship in 1983 and 1984 and coming up empty. The Cougars have averaged 69.8 points per game throughout the tournament and boast a strong arsenal on the offense, led by Marcus Sasser, who scored 20 points against Oregon State, and Quentin Grimes 18 points helped the Cougars send the Beavers home for the season.
Heading into their matchup against Baylor, Kelvin Sampson’s defense will be put to the test against the team believed to reach the national championship. Also, there is a bit of personal pride on the line to see which school will represent the state of Texas on Monday night for the right to cut down the nets.
Representing the South Region, the Baylor Bears have established themselves as a threat to be the last team standing and cut down the nets. Baylor is making their first trip to the Final Four since 1950, which is two decade before head coach Scott Drew was born. The Bears advanced to the national championship back in 1948 and fell short to the Kentucky Wildcats.
However, based on how dominant Baylor has been in the tournament, this year’s squad has a good chance to bring home the school’s first championship.
Thanks to Macio Teague’s 22 points and Davion Mitchell’s 12 points, the Bears held their will against Arkansas. Against Houston, however, Baylor will need to continue their strong shooting, and their leaders will need to step their game up if they want to be the team to represent Texas in the national championship.
The top dog in the NCAA Tournament and winners of the Western region, the 30-0 Gonzaga Bulldogs, are undoubtedly the favorite to cut down the nets and claim their first-ever national championship. Mark Few’s squad came within points of winning it all against UNC in 2017, but this team looks deeper and hungry for redemption.
Led by Corey Kispert and potential lottery pick Jalen Suggs, the Bulldogs are unbeaten after beating the USC Trojans, heading into the season’s final weekend. However, before they can think about a national title, they have to first take care of business against UCLA, a school that has a history with them, having ended their miraculous run in 2008.
Nevertheless, these Bulldogs are on a mission to be the first team since the 1976 Indiana Hoosiers to win it all and complete a perfect season.
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