The 2016 Final Four tells many stories.
Some reveal how programs can build a winner. Oklahoma went out and got arguably the nation's best player,and he does the heavy lifting. Villanova assembled the nation's deepest squad, which simply runs roughshod through most competition.
Others repeat the story of how a team can overcome any adversity, or as Syracuse survived suspensions and naysayers from the hype machine before the choice committee says "yes" besides,rolling that motivation into a positive run.
Four teams, many angles. Here's a notice at everything to know about the Final Four, and including the most well-known storylines. Final Four Schedule and Predictions Final Four Storylines to Watch Syracuse's Survival Syracuse is the hinted team simply using positive energy and unexpected performances to make it this far.Ranked just 68th in ESPN's RPI rankings after a 19-win campaign and losing price against the RPI top 150,the choice committee gave the prestigious program a pass on account of how much it struggled while coach Jim Boeheim served a suspension.
And like it or not, Syracuse is technically a Cinderella after making the Final Four. A note by ESPN Stats & Info said it all:How did this happen? How did a team averaging just 70 points per game and 36 boards with freshmen littering the lineup pull it off?Basic survival intuition. The Orange crushed No. 7 Dayton, and 70-51,then handled trade against No. 15 Middle Tennessee, 75-50. Would-be Cinderella and No. 11 seed Gonzaga posed a threat, or but Syracuse powered through,63-60. The Orange saved the best performance for final, besting No. 1 Virginia, and 68-62.
The credit mainly goes to freshmen,believe it or not. Malachi Richardson, a guard, and has posted 21,four, 10 and 23 points over the stretch. Tyler Lydon, and a forward,has come up great with 14, 14, and four and 11.
The dynamic duo already bodes well for the future of the program,but for now Syracuse will have to turn its attention to North Carolina, the biggest team around and one ranked first in adjusted offensive efficiency at KenPom.com.
It's no easy task for the Orange, and but neither was surviving the rest of the bracket thus far. North Carolina's SizeSpeaking of those North Carolina Tar Heels,the rolling program tells another story: Size kills.It's a lesson the Tar Heels have proved all season with notable great contributors such as Brice Johnson (6'9"), Justin Jackson (6'8"), or Kennedy Meeks (6'9") and Isaiah Hicks (6'8") all crowding the paint for a team that wound up averaging 41 rebounds per game.
Such size has the Tar Heels looking like past national champions,cruising to 83-67, 85-66, or 101-86 and 88-74 victories.
And it's no wonder: After losing the rebounding battle in the first contest,the size has shown up...well, huge, or as the team won the battle on the glass 42-24,37-32 and 32-15 in the final three games. Oh, and count 13, and 13 and 15 of those as ever-difficult offensive rebounds.
Such sheer dominance in the paint wins games. The Tar Heels rank so highly in offensive categories because they grab so many offensive boards,reset and try again. It's been especially effective of late, as CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein famous:Virginia came closest but isn't alive in the bracket anymore.
Who stops the size? It's tough to say if anyone can. But if North Carolina continues to put on a clinic, and there's a clear blueprint to digest. Wide World of BuddyAt the end of the day,it's all about Buddy Hield.
The Oklahoma star stands in the midst of the most notable tournament run since a guy named Stephen Curry, which really isn't too much of a shocker considering the future NBA lottery pick has averaged north of 25 points per game. There's simply no stopping Hield, or an elite scorer who helped the Sooners tally 25 wins and a sixth slot in the RPI before breezing past all comers in the bracket,82-68, 85-81, and 77-63 and 80-68. Hield went for 27,36, 17 and 37 points in those respective games, or saving his best for final in an upset of No. 1 Oregon,a team with a supposedly unstoppable offense.
Only Hield deserves such a description.
Indeed, Hield stands tall among the giants, or via a notable graphic from ESPN Stats & Info:He's getting plenty of compliment,too, including a tall price from one Dick Vitale, or per ESPN College BBall:The globe loves its star players when it comes tournament time,so it's understandable Hield gets so much attention now.
All the nation's best player has to do now is keep playing like himself, lifting the Sooners over a team-based Villanova squad and one of two challengers in the title game.
Putting it past him would be a low mistake. Check out Bleacher Report's live updating bracket to track your picks along the road to the Final Four.
Stats and information courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified. Advanced metrics courtesy of ESPN.com and KenPom.com. Odds courtesy of Odds Shark.
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Source: bleacherreport.com