2017 Final Four: Oregon vs North Carolina preview, prediction, TV schedule

No. 1 North Carolina and No. 3 Oregon take center stage in Phoenix with a national championship appearance on the line.

TV Schedule: Saturday, April 1, 8:49 PM/EST on CBS

Arena: University of Phoenix Stadium, Phoenix, Arizona

The Final Four is finally here. After 60 games of mayhem and excitement, the Big Dance has four teams remaining, all of which are battling for a national championship appearance.

Following the conclusion of No. 1 Gonzaga against No. 7 South Carolina, No. 1 North Carolina and No. 3 Oregon will take center stage in Phoenix. The Tar Heels are in their third Final Four in history, the most recent coming in 2000. The Ducks have not reached the Final Four since 1939, the first year of the NCAA Tournament.

This contest will feature two of the nation’s top 10 teams, according to the final AP Poll. The two combine for a 64-12 record and a total of eight wins over top 25 opposition.

Oregon, regarded as the away team against UNC, is coming off a statement 14-point win over Kansas, the No. 1 seed from the Midwest region. Oregon’s road to the Final Four, however, had not been that easy.

As expected, the Ducks handled No. 14 Iona in the Round of 64 but had abrupt struggles against No. 11 Rhode Island, knocking the Rams off by only three points. In the Sweet Sixteen, Oregon edged No. 7 Michigan by a point.

Guard Tyler Dorsey has performed phenomenally throughout the Big Dance. The sophomore is posting 24.5 points per game, shooting on an inconceivable 67 percent from the field during the NCAA Tournament. Compared to his 14.5 points per game during the regular season, Dorsey has undoubtedly emerged as Oregon’s X-factor in March. Dorsey has led the Ducks in scoring in all NCAA Tournament games thus far and has posted 20 or more points in all outings dating back to March 9.

Along with Dorsey, forward Jordan Bell has stepped up immensely. The junior had a career day in his last outing against Kansas, posting 11 points, 13 rebounds, four assists, and eight blocks. Bell is averaging 12.5 points per game and 12.5 rebounds per game in this year’s NCAA Tournament. Bell had certainly stepped up in absence of Chris Boucher, a senior who suffered a torn ACL in the Pac-12 tournament. Boucher was the team’s leading shot blocker (2.5 per game), but Bell has emerged as a frightening interior presence as of late.

With all this praise towards Eugene, Dillon Brooks’ name is yet to be mentioned. Brooks led the group in scoring this season with 16.3 points per game. The Pac-12 Player of the Year thrives in the clutch, as Brooks nailed two game-winning buzzer-beaters this season, including one that lifted Oregon over then-No. 2 UCLA.

Guards Dylan Ennis and Payton Pritchard round out the starting five for the Ducks. Ennis, a former Villanova Wildcat, is averaging in double figures for the first time in his five-year playing career with 10.7 points per game. While Ennis doesn’t post astounding numbers (4.4 rebounds per game, 3.1 assists per game), he is one of Oregon’s most important pieces. With his experience, Ennis is on the floor for nearly the entire game, as he has only sat for eleven minutes during the tournament thus far. As for Pritchard, the freshman averages 7.4 points per game, 3.3 rebounds per game, and 3.7 assists per game. Pritchard has logged at least one steal in every tournament game this year.

North Carolina, per usual, has an immensely deep and experienced roster. Nine Tar Heels log ten or more minutes per game, six of which are upperclassmen.

UNC’s road to the Final Four was certainly difficult. While No. 16 Texas Southern was no match for the Tar Heels in a 39-point blowout, No. 8 Arkansas surprisingly gave UNC problems. It wasn’t until a 12-0 run to cap the game that North Carolina was safe against the Razorbacks. North Carolina met No. 4 Butler in the Sweet Sixteen but was able to knock the Bulldogs off by 12 points.

The Elite Eight contest between North Carolina and No. 2 Kentucky was arguably the tournament’s best game thus far. In a game that came down to the final moments, the Tar Heels were able to rise above the Wildcats who had once beaten them earlier in the year. Luke Maye’s game-winning shot sealed the deal for UNC in a 75-73 victory.

UNC is led by a trio of ACC Player of the Year Justin Jackson (18.2 PPG), junior Joel Berry (14.6 PPG), and senior Kennedy Meeks (12.3 PPG, 9.3 RPG). One of those three had led the team in scoring in any given tournament game thus far and have carried a large load to Phoenix. Senior Isaiah Hicks (12.1 PPG) rounds out one of the nation’s best front courts alongside Meeks.

Even with the superstar power North Carolina has, its depth is exceptional. Not far down in the rotation is the Tar Heels’ glue guy in junior Theo Pinson. Pinson is the epitome of an all-around player with averages of 6.0 points per game, 4.2 rebounds per game, 3.7 assists per game, and nearly one steal per game.  Freshman big Tony Bradley, a potential first-round draft choice this year, sees less than 15 minutes of court time per game. Bradley still finds a way to average 7.3 points per game and 5.1 rebounds per game. Sophomore Luke Maye, Chapel Hill’s hero after his last-second

Sophomore Luke Maye, Chapel Hill’s hero after his last-second, game-winning shot in the Elite Eight, also comes off the bench. Regardless of his 5.8 points per game and 4.0 rebounds per game, Maye is the reason North Carolina is in Glendale.

Great players, obviously, create great teams. North Carolina is nothing but fantastic statistically as a group. On the glass, UNC averages a nation-best 43.7 rebounds per game. On the offensive end of the floor, the Tar Heels post 85.7 points per game, the ninth best in the country. Their 18.2 assists per game is the third best nationwide.

Next: Top 5 players in the Final Four

It won’t be easy, but I have North Carolina advancing to the National Championship with an 83-77 victory over Oregon. I imagine UNC’s front court leading the way and out-matching Dillon Brooks and co.