The Final Four is finally set. After a long run of many, many games, we finally have our final four teams that each have a chance at the championship. There's two number one seeds, a number three seed, and a number seven seed. In this blog I'll be previewing each team.
South Carolina
South Carolina is a number seven seed, the "Cinderella story" of March Madness 2017. Most people actually expected them to lose in the first round to Marquette. In fact, on ESPN Tournament Challenge, 56% of people had South Carolina losing first round. Even if they won, which they did, most people expected them to lose to Duke by a lot. But they beat number two Duke, they beat number three Baylor and they beat number four Florida, and now find themselves in the Final Four facing Gonzaga.
Issue: Rebounding. South Carolina has the least amount of rebounds per game out of the Final Four, and is going up against a very tall and good at rebounding team in Gonzaga. South Carolina has no listed centers on their roster, and their tallest player that plays more than ten minutes a game is six foot ten inches. Gonzaga however, has two seven-footers that can out rebound South Carolina. If South Carolina loses, it's probably because of their rebounding lacking.
Strength: Second Half. In the second half of their games, South Carolina scored 54 more combined points than the other teams. That's a lot of points. In the second half, South Carolina has been almost unbeatable. If anyone is going to beat them, they need to stay strong and score down the stretch.
Gonzaga
South Carolina will be coming up against Gonzaga. Gonzaga is a very good team, a number one seed that has lost one game all season. They're good at pretty much everything. A lot of people doubted them, but they've proved that they are a deserving number one seed by making it to the Final Four. On their road, Gonzaga beat the likes of Northwestern, West Virginia and Xavier.
Issue: The big time. Gonzaga has just recently come out as a powerhouse in basketball this year, and nobody really knows if they can put it together in the big time. They got really lucky against West Virginia, and that cannot happen again. If they make mistakes under pressure, you can guarantee South Carolina will take advantage.
Strength: Defense. In the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight, Gonzaga held West Virginia and Xavier to 58 and 59 points, respectively. West Virginia and Xavier are both very good scoring teams, but Gonzaga held them down pat and played very good defense. They have seven steals and five blocks a game, and play a tough game. If their defense is on point, there's a very small chance they lose.
Oregon
Oregon is coming off a stunning upset over Kansas in Kansas City that nobody thought they could pull off. After losing their star center to an injury, not many people believed in Oregon. But they pulled through and are in the Final Four. They've been playing amazing so far this tournament.
Issue: Rebounding. Ever since the loss of their center, Oregon has been out rebounded 12 times by opposing teams. Granted, they have been doing a lot better in the tournament, but North Carolina is a great team and if they want to have a chance, Oregon needs to do well on the glass.
Strength: Offense. Oregon scores 80 points a game and has been shooting lights out in the tournament so far. If they can keep that going against North Carolina's stellar defense, they might have a chance to upset UNC.
North Carolina
University of North Carolina, or UNC, came into this tournament as a number one seed and a favorite to win it all. So far, they've lived up to expectation and have had only one really close game in the Kentucky game. If they can win it all, it'll be to nobody's surprise
Issue: Joel Berry III. Joel Berry, UNC's star point guard, is the only person on their team who can really move the ball. When he's on the floor, UNC averages about five more assists than when he's not. And according to coach Roy Williams, he's been going around on two bad ankles. That's really not good for North Carolina. He needs to stay healthy for them to have a chance.
Strength: Everything. In this tournament, North Carolina is probably the best all-around team. They can shoot, pass, rebound and do everything else. As previously said, they're probably the best team still around. They could win it all with their skill set.
South Carolina
South Carolina is a number seven seed, the "Cinderella story" of March Madness 2017. Most people actually expected them to lose in the first round to Marquette. In fact, on ESPN Tournament Challenge, 56% of people had South Carolina losing first round. Even if they won, which they did, most people expected them to lose to Duke by a lot. But they beat number two Duke, they beat number three Baylor and they beat number four Florida, and now find themselves in the Final Four facing Gonzaga.
Issue: Rebounding. South Carolina has the least amount of rebounds per game out of the Final Four, and is going up against a very tall and good at rebounding team in Gonzaga. South Carolina has no listed centers on their roster, and their tallest player that plays more than ten minutes a game is six foot ten inches. Gonzaga however, has two seven-footers that can out rebound South Carolina. If South Carolina loses, it's probably because of their rebounding lacking.
Strength: Second Half. In the second half of their games, South Carolina scored 54 more combined points than the other teams. That's a lot of points. In the second half, South Carolina has been almost unbeatable. If anyone is going to beat them, they need to stay strong and score down the stretch.
Gonzaga
South Carolina will be coming up against Gonzaga. Gonzaga is a very good team, a number one seed that has lost one game all season. They're good at pretty much everything. A lot of people doubted them, but they've proved that they are a deserving number one seed by making it to the Final Four. On their road, Gonzaga beat the likes of Northwestern, West Virginia and Xavier.
Issue: The big time. Gonzaga has just recently come out as a powerhouse in basketball this year, and nobody really knows if they can put it together in the big time. They got really lucky against West Virginia, and that cannot happen again. If they make mistakes under pressure, you can guarantee South Carolina will take advantage.
Strength: Defense. In the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight, Gonzaga held West Virginia and Xavier to 58 and 59 points, respectively. West Virginia and Xavier are both very good scoring teams, but Gonzaga held them down pat and played very good defense. They have seven steals and five blocks a game, and play a tough game. If their defense is on point, there's a very small chance they lose.
Oregon
Oregon is coming off a stunning upset over Kansas in Kansas City that nobody thought they could pull off. After losing their star center to an injury, not many people believed in Oregon. But they pulled through and are in the Final Four. They've been playing amazing so far this tournament.
Issue: Rebounding. Ever since the loss of their center, Oregon has been out rebounded 12 times by opposing teams. Granted, they have been doing a lot better in the tournament, but North Carolina is a great team and if they want to have a chance, Oregon needs to do well on the glass.
Strength: Offense. Oregon scores 80 points a game and has been shooting lights out in the tournament so far. If they can keep that going against North Carolina's stellar defense, they might have a chance to upset UNC.
North Carolina
University of North Carolina, or UNC, came into this tournament as a number one seed and a favorite to win it all. So far, they've lived up to expectation and have had only one really close game in the Kentucky game. If they can win it all, it'll be to nobody's surprise
Issue: Joel Berry III. Joel Berry, UNC's star point guard, is the only person on their team who can really move the ball. When he's on the floor, UNC averages about five more assists than when he's not. And according to coach Roy Williams, he's been going around on two bad ankles. That's really not good for North Carolina. He needs to stay healthy for them to have a chance.
Strength: Everything. In this tournament, North Carolina is probably the best all-around team. They can shoot, pass, rebound and do everything else. As previously said, they're probably the best team still around. They could win it all with their skill set.
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