Feed the Madness: A Case for Every Remaining Team
Brackets are ruined. Dreams are crushed. But the tournament rolls on. As the Final Four approaches, each team has a legitimate shot at taking home the National Championship.Andrew SlapTHE SANTA CLARAMarch 31, 2016
Final Four
vs. 
[dropcap]O[/dropcap]klahoma has the best player in college basketball in Buddy Hield, but the Sooners will need him more than ever if they want to take home the title. Hield is coming off his best game, where he put up 37 points on 65% shooting and totaled four rebounds in the Sooners 80-68 win over Oregon.
When Hield plays this well Oklahoma is tough to beat, but heavy reliance on one player can only carry a team so far. Gordon Hayward got Butler to the Finals back in 2010 and Stephen Curry brought Davidson to the Elite Eight.
Fortunately for Oklahoma, they’re not a one-man team. Point guard Jordan Woodard has had a fantastic tournament and outscored Hield in OU’s win over Texas A&M.
Other than a narrow victory against VCU, the Sooners have had little trouble with the West Region. If Buddy Hield keeps playing like a man possessed and their role players continue to contribute, Oklahoma should be hoisting the trophy Monday night.
[dropcap]V[/dropcap]illanova embodies team basketball. They don’t have a superstar and there’s very little, if any, NBA talent on this team. Nonetheless, they’ve been the most impressive team in the tournament.
Villanova has won by an average of 19.25 points per game in March Madness; they’re only close win came against Kansas, a the top seed in the tournament. In that win over the Jayhawks, three players had 13 points. The other two starters had 10 and seven. Their scoring attack was balanced in the Elite Eight as well, since Kris Jenkins and Ryan Arcidiacono had 21 points, Daniel Ochefu had 17 and Josh Hart had 14.
There’s no simple way to beat this team. With Oklahoma, you try to contain Buddy Hield; against UNC you limit Brice Johnson. Now this is easier said than done, but the keys to victory are crystal clear. Villanova attacks their opponents from every spot on the floor, and their balanced, team-first approach should ultimately deliver a championship.
vs. 
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Tar Heels are the only #1 seed still standing, proving the selection committee has no idea what it’s doing. They’ve steamrolled their competition so far, winning by an average of 16 points per game.
UNC has relied heavily on senior Brice Johnson, who outside of Buddy Hield, may be the best player in the tournament. Notre Dame had no answer for Johnson in the Elite Eight, as he posted 25 points and 12 rebounds while shooting 66.7% from the field.
Johnson may be the leader, but by no means does he carry the team. Point guard Marcus Paige has had a great tournament and was instrumental in UNC’s win over Indiana. Paige put up 21 points in that game while tallying six assists as well.
The Tar Heels are a #1 seed for good reason. They went 28-6 in the ACC, arguably the best conference in college basketball, and won the conference title over Virginia. They’ve already beaten Syracuse twice this season, and have to be the favorite to reach the Finals.
[dropcap]S[/dropcap]yracuse isn’t your typical Cinderella story. They’re not the small school that scraps out wins against the traditional powerhouses. Instead, they are the traditional powerhouse–dealing with sanctions from the NCAA–that finally got their act together. Cheating aside, Syracuse has found its groove and is just two wins away from their most improbable championship.
After losing five of their last six before the tournament, some questioned whether or not Syracuse should have even made the tournament. But the Orange have proved they belong.
They breezed through the first two rounds before edging out Gonzaga 63-60 to reach the Elite Eight. And their second half surge over Virginia sent a loud message to the rest of the field: when they’re on, Syracuse is unbeatable. Freshman Malachi Richardson had 21 points in that second half, and if the Orange can get a similar performance from him in the Final Four, they’ll have a chance at upsetting the final #1 seed.
National Championship
