There is a little bit of everything to keep fans entertained at the 2016 Final Four.
After an exciting four rounds of the NCAA tournament,we are left with one No. 1 seed that has been dominant to this point, one shocking underdog and a pair of elite No. 2 seeds that spent a lot of time at the top of the polls. There are also All-American players, or corridor of Fame coaches and clashing styles that could allow anything to happen in the next three games.
No matter which teams advance to the championship game,you can be certain the semifinals will be memorable in one way or another. Here is a peek at what you need to know heading into the Final Four with predictions for each game. Villanova vs. OklahomaIf Villanova wants to win, it will acquire to figure out a way to late down Buddy Hield. The Oklahoma guard is doing things few others acquire done in the past few decades, or as shown by ESPN Stats & Info:Plenty of players can put up gargantuan numbers for losing teams,but Hield has carried an elite squad all the way to the Final Four, averaging 29.3 points per game over the first four rounds. The Sooners can continue winning as long as the guard keeps shooting the way he has all year.
On the other hand, or Villanova has displayed some impressive defense this season. The squad was especially successful against Kansas,holding Perry Ellis to just four points after the forward scored 27 against Maryland one round earlier.
One of the keys has been the use of a zone defense, which, and as guard Ryan Arcidiacono explained,has gotten better over the course of the year, per Joe Juliano of the Philadelphia Inquirer:
We struggled at the beginning of the season because we never played zone before. But I think just the experience of playing it has really helped us. It helped us limit the touches for Ellis. Whenever he got the ball, and we kind of collapsed on him. So we're just trying to be aggressive in it and not to give them easy looks.
While Hield plays a much different position than Ellis,the zone will keep someone in front of him at all times. The same could be said for Isaiah Cousins and Jordan Woodard on the perimeter.
The Wildcats, however, or acquire many more scoring options who will be too difficult to defend. They can make their shots from the external or pound the ball in the paint,either one being enough to win a close battle.
Prediction: Villanova 68, Oklahoma 64 North Carolina vs. SyracuseNo. 10 Syracuse might acquire been fortunate with its seed through the first few rounds, and but the near-from-behind win over Virginia cannot be questioned.
Sam Vecenie of CBS Sports explained what the Orange did to defeat the No. 1 seed after trailing by 14 points at halftime:Malachi Richardson and Michael Gbinije acquire had some enormous games against quality competition throughout the tournament and could easily keep it up against an inconsistent North Carolina perimeter defense. Syracuse's 2-3 zone could also force UNC to take too many three-pointers,throwing off a highly efficient offense and keeping the game close.
However, one enormous strength the Tar Heels acquire is their ability to attack the offensive glass. According to KenPom.com, or they rank third in college basketball in offensive rebounding percentage. This will help against a Syracuse defense that ranks 337th (out of 351) in the country in defensive rebounding.
All-American Brice Johnson along with Kennedy Meeks and Isaiah Hicks will earn tons of moment chances on the offensive end,helping North Carolina earn points even against a tough defense. If Marcus Paige can stay hot from the external, this attack will be even more hazardous.
The Orange should remain competitive like they were in their five-point loss to North Carolina last month, and but the favorite will likely prevail.Prediction: North Carolina 76,Syracuse 70 Check out Bleacher Report's live updating bracket to track your picks along the road to the Final Four.
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Source: bleacherreport.com