2016 Final Four preview

Samantha Axon, Reporter
@SAxonCourant

On April 2nd, the Final Four teams will travel to Houston, Texas to face off for the championship. The four teams that have survived thus far are the Oklahoma Sooners, Villanova Wildcats, Syracuse Orange, and the North Carolina Tar Heels. First, Villanova and Oklahoma will face off at 6:09 pm, then Syracuse and North Carolina will go head to head at 8:49 pm. Tune into TBS to catch both of these games.

Oklahoma Sooners

Strengths: Two words, Buddy Hield. Hield, one of the most sought after players going into the NBA next year, is on the Sooners and has lead his team to victory game after game. He averages 29.2 points per game, and many of these points come from 3-pointers. He has a 46.3% 3-point accuracy, which makes him a sought after player coming into the draft. Without Hield, it is very unlikely that the Sooners would even have made the Final Four. Also, the team reins from the Big 12, a league that has the best teams during the regular season, and the most underachieving ones during March Madness. Oklahoma has beat every team in the conference, with the exception of the Kansas Jayhawks. The Sooners’ ability and skill has proved them to be a big contender in the Final Four.

Weaknesses: On the other hand, Oklahoma has almost become too reliant on Hield’s ability to perform. Since he scores almost 30 points each game, he has been able to support the Sooners against difficult opponents. But, this can be detrimental if Hield has an off day. Even though the team is highly skilled, losing the best player can be almost impossible to jump back from. This was evident in the Elite Eight game between Kansas and Villanova. Kansas’ Perry Ellis had an off night and it contributed to the team’s loss. Perry, who usually scores 16.9 points a game, was unable to convert any points the first half, and only scored 4 the second. Even with talented players such as Devonte Graham and Frank Mason III that stepped up when Ellis was struggling, the effort was not enough and the Jayhawks fell 64-59. If Buddy Hield cannot perform up to expectations, which has happened to numerous athletes thus far, the Sooners may be in danger.

Villanova Wildcats

Strengths: Coming off an unpredictable win against the Kansas Jayhawks, the Wildcats are hoping to take that momentum and use it in their next game against the Oklahoma Sooners. College basketball is all about momentum, and that is what the Wildcats have. Even though the team was the only one standing behind Kansas, they were

considered the “underdog” team in the match-up. Also, Kansas has beat Oklahoma twice and Nova just beating them which means that there is a chance the Wildcats can come out on top, but each game is different with a variety of factors. The team also has key player Ryan Arcidiacono who helped lead the team to victory. He was able to provide 3 point shots when needed after falling behind to the Jayhawks. He also was four for four when shooting free throws, many of which motivated the team or extended the Wildcats’ lead within the last minute or so. If he can keep up his momentum this game, he may be able to lead them to victory.

Weaknesses:  The Big East champions have struggled this season against teams that had been ranked. The team’s only losses have been against these teams. In addition, the Wildcats lost to the Sooners earlier this season 78-55.  Villanova has often not performed their best under such pressure, and the pressure just increases as the season goes into the Final Four. But, on the other hand, they have won against former top-25 ranked teams within the last two games, Kansas and the Miami Hurricanes. This game will come down to how the team can play against one of the best teams in the nation. In addition, Villanova could not pull away in their last game against Kansas. As stated before, Kansas had a horrendous game with their top 3 players out of it, and the Wildcats should have been able to pull away score-wise. Instead, the game came down to the last minute and some questionable calls against the Jayhawks. The Big East champions may not be able to keep up with a team like Oklahoma.

Syracuse Orange

Strengths: The Orange have proved everyone wrong thus far with wins against top-ranked teams in the regular season and March Madness such as Duke and UVA. With this, the team has secured a ticket to the Final Four. The

team has already been the first number 10 team to reach the Final Four and the fourth team with a double-digit ranking to reach the final four games. Syracuse is hoping to ruin everyone’s brackets even more than they already have by becoming the first double digit to win the largest college basketball game of the season. This motivation that the team has can really propel the team into another unpredictable victory. Barely any brackets had the Orange in the Final Four, and they can prove everyone wrong in this game. They have a strong record going, and college basketball is all about momentum from game to game.

Weaknesses: The most obvious of the team’s weaknesses is their 10th seed. Even though there were many surprises in the March Madness rankings this year, each team has their ranking for a reason. Syracuse did not perform the best during the regular season, and barely slid into the tournament. Only once in the tournament did the Orange play to their full potential. But, Syracuse had some brutal losses in the regular season to Florida State and St. Johns. The loss was so bad that analysts throughout the country questioned how ‘Cuse got into the tournament and predicted that they would lose the very first round. While a ranking is not determining of a team’s ability, it still gives an idea into their potential and ability.

North Carolina Tar Heels

Strengths: The North Carolina Tar Heels started off the year strong as a number 1 seed to start the season. At the end

of the season, UNC still continues as the only number 1 seed left in the tournament. The ACC champions have been strong from the start of the season and have generally continued that trend. Being in a difficult conference such as the ACC prepared the team well for the difficult games they would endure come March Madness. Forward Brice Johnson has propelled the team to victory game after game with an average 21 points per game and a 63% field goal accuracy. He has been able to contribute to the team throughout the season and is highly likely to be a top choice for recruiters next year.

Weaknesses: Throughout the season, the Tar Heels have been constantly questioned for their capabilities as a team. Coming into the season as a number 1 seeded team did not convince many individuals that they were a team that truly deserved the ranking. The team has a near even record against ranked teams, and still have endured constant upsets. The Tar Heels have been able to lose games against teams such as Northern Iowa and Texas. The team’s loss against Northern Iowa was the fourth game of the year and drastically hurt the team’s ranking, until they were completely dropped from the top 25. While the questioning of UNC can be a motivating factor for the team to prove people wrong, it can also hurt the confidence of the team more than anything.

Predictions:

As much as I want the Wildcats to win this game for the sake of my bracket, Oklahoma has a much better chance at winning. The Sooners have played in a difficult league (even if it was not demonstrated in March Madness), and have Buddy Hield. While Villanova was able to beat Kansas, the Jayhawks had such an awful game that the argument is practically invalid. Even with Kansas’ top 3 players severely underachieving, the Jayhawks were able to keep the score close, raising red flags about playing against a team like Oklahoma that rarely has such “off days”.

While it would make for an amazing story to have the Orange win this game, I do not believe that they will be able to go against North Carolina’s questionable ability. Even though Syracuse beat difficult teams such as Duke and UVA, there is only so long that an unexpected streak can go for. While it is not out of the question for Syracuse to win, it is highly unlikely given their past history.