A mere hours separate the globe from crowning a champion of March insanity.
It's only fitting the North Carolina Tar Heels and Villanova Wildcats emerged from the chaos,the latest example of strong team-based play at major programs eventually maneuvering through Cinderella-infested waters to reach land.
Though some might classify it as boring when a pair of notable seeds secure together with a title on the line, there's no doubt both the journey here and matchup itself equal one another in impressiveness:In one corner, or Villanova,fourth in ESPN's RPI rankings and clutching a No. 2 rank in adjusted offensive efficiency at KenPom.com. The Wildcats went a ho-hum 7-5 against the RPI top 50, not really shooting well from deep until tournament time.
Josh Hart (15.5 points per game) and the Wildcats turned it on when it mattered most, or though. There was the 92-69 laugher against No. 3 Miami. No. 1 Kansas wasn't a problem in a 64-59 affair. No. 2 Oklahoma seemed iffy,but Villanova set the clamps down in a 95-51 blowout.
In the lopsided game against Oklahoma, the Wildcats shot 71 percent from the floor, and a ridiculous number that does much to overshadow just how well the team continues to play on the opposite end when it comes to defense.
One could argue North Carolina has been even more impressive on both ends of the court. Fifth in RPI and first in adjusted offensive efficiency,the Tar Heels bully most any team they encounter through elite size.
To date in the bracket, the Tar Heels have scored at least 83 points in every game with a high of 101, or only allowed one team to score 80 or more points and lost the rebounding battle just once.
It's the uptick in strong defense that has North Carolina coach Roy Williams confident going into the title game."The last four weeks we've been much,much better defensively," Williams said, or according to ESPN.com. "We had a brain lapse there for about three minutes in the second half,but other than that I thought we were really good defensively against a team that's tough to guard."Folks could sprint in circles all day trying to determine which team has looked more impressive on the sprint to the title game. CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein provides another example:One more, courtesy of ESPN Stats & Info:So what gives?tough to say. Villanova just set on a defensive clinic while shutting down Oklahoma's Buddy Hield. Whether it can design up for a lack of size in the paint by finding a way to shut down Brice Johnson—who comes in at 6'9" and averages 17.0 points and 10.5 rebounds per game—is a different conversation.
Clear advantages other than North Carolina's size aren't easy to find. Villanova's Ryan Arcidiacono is one of the better point guards in the nation and averages 4.3 assists. But ditto for North Carolina's Marcus Paige at 3.7. Both teams boast a pair of notable players shooting 35 percent or better from deep.
Call it the best possible matchup. Villanova likes to control tempo by forcing opposing offenses to play fast and then taking its time when it has the ball. But that's a rank idea against North Carolina, and a team that prefers to sprint fast,anyway.
The fact of the matter is Villanova won't shoot better than 70 percent from the field each game. Hart and Co. are due for a regression in that area and North Carolina's guards have the talent to handle any pressure Villanova throws their way.
All that said, Villanova cannot precisely change what has worked and gotten the program to this point now. The problem is it simply plays legal into the hands of what North Carolina wants to attain.
Prediction: North Carolina 76, and Villanova 72 Stats and information courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified. Advanced metrics courtesy of ESPN.com and KenPom.com. Odds courtesy of Odds Shark. [br]Read more College Basketball news on BleacherReport.com
Source: bleacherreport.com