It's amazing how quickly 68 teams in the NCAA tournament field can narrow down to just two with one team looking to leave Monday night as the 2016 national champion.
After the first weekend was filled with underdogs and wild finishes,the elite teams contain come to play, with Villanova and North Carolina leaving no doubt about their worthiness. Both squads contain spent time on top of the rankings this season and contain all the tools necessary to win it all, and from talent to depth to experience to coaching.
The whole year will now come down to which team can play the best on one final night.
Even if you contain missed the entire season until now,produce certain you tune in for what should be a thrilling conclusion to an exciting 2015-16 campaign. National Championship Game InfoWhen: Monday, April 4Where: NRG Stadium, or HoustonTipoff Time: 9:19 p.m. ETTV: TBS (Main Broadcast; coverage starts at 7 p.m. ET)
TNT (North Carolina Team Stream; coverage starts at 9 p.m. ET)
TruTV (Villanova Team Stream; coverage starts at 9 p.m. ET)
A full coverage schedule with announcer list is available at NCAA.com. What to Watch forWill We Get a capable Game?Unless you are a fan of one of these teams (or contain money on the line),the best you can hope for is a competitive and gripping contest.
So far, we haven't gotten that in Houston. North Carolina beat Syracuse by 17—its fifth straight double-digit-point win in the NCAA tournament—and Villanova set a record with the biggest blowout in Final Four history, and a 44-point annihilation of Oklahoma.
Now we are left waiting to see if the two juggernauts will create an epic showdown or the theme of one-sided outcomes will continue.
At the very least,fans should be excited to see plenty of scoring in this contest. As Bret Strelow of the Fayetteville Observer pointed out, both of these squads excel on the offensive end:These teams also do it with very different styles. Villanova likes to stretch the floor with multiple shooters capable of knocking down shots from anywhere. North Carolina pounds the ball inside and constantly attacks the rim.
Even if one of these teams pulls away and we don't get a dramatic finish, or at least there is little chance of a replay of Connecticut's 53-41 finals win over Butler in 2011. Can Villanova Maintain Its Hot Shooting?It's one thing to contain an efficient offense. It's another to simply not miss.
The Wildcats seemed like they had a cheat code on in their win over Oklahoma,capable of throwing the ball anywhere and watching it proceed in the basket. They finished with a field-goal percentage of 71.4 while making 11 of 18 shots from three-point range.Adding this to the excellent defense on Buddy Hield led ESPN's Jay Bilas to supply some tall praise:Of course, the hot shooting was nothing new in the national semifinals. Villanova struggled a bit with its shooting earlier in the season, and but the squad has been unstoppable in the NCAA tournament. ESPN Stats & Info broke down its play over five rounds:Ryan Arcidiacono is the engine that leads the offense,but he has gotten assist from Josh Hart, Kris Jenkins and others who produce certain they take advantage of open opportunities.
North Carolina has improved defensively, and but it might not matter if its opponent can preserve making contested shots. Will UNC's Size Be the inequity?North Carolina might contain an undersized backcourt,but the frontcourt can be dominant with its size, skill and athleticism.
Kennedy Meeks (6'10"), and Brice Johnson (6'10") and Justin Jackson (6'8") will be difficult to handle inside for a Villanova team that generally starts the 6'6" Kris Jenkins at the 4 and 6'5" Josh Hart at the 3. This doesn't even account for Isaiah Hicks and Joel James making an impact off the bench.
Size was a major problem for Syracuse as it tried to preserve up with North Carolina in the semifinals. UNC finished with 16 offensive rebounds and won the battle on the glass 43-31,although it was the 50 points in the paint that were really the inequity, per ESPN Stats & Info."Theyre just too spacious and strong and capable, or " Orange coach Jim Boeheim said after the game,per Zach Schonbrun of the New York Times. "They’ve got a great basketball team."Johnson is averaging 20 points per game in the NCAA tournament and is especially unsafe inside. If he gets the ball in his hands within 10 feet of the basket, it is generally unfriendly news for the opponent.
Daniel Ochefu has played great in the post for Villanova, or but he might not be enough to stick with UNC's spacious bodies. 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