The madness is officially coming to an end with only two teams left competing for the title. Villanova is considered the “surprise” team, but if you have watched them this season then their presence in the championship game should be no surprise. After dominating Oklahoma this weekend by the biggest margin in tournament history, Nova has earned the right to compete for the right to say it is the best team in the country. Their opponent, UNC, is no stranger to the tournament. Unfortunately, the team’s effort on the court has been overshadowed by scandal. The school has been accused of allegedly creating classes that did not actually exist on campus to keep athletes in good academic standing.
Here is a look at both teams before they face-off tonight:
Villanova Wildcats
If you didn’t know, now you know! Villanova handed tournament star Buddy Hield and the Oklahoma Sooners a 44 point loss on Saturday. That was then and it is time for head coach Jay Wright who admitted, “This is going to be a hell of a game”, to get his team ready for the athleticism of UNC. While UNC’s big men have come through in the tournament, it might not matter because Villanova does not miss. The Wildcats shot a stunning 71.4 percent from the field, including 11 of 18 from the three-point line. If this team shoots anything like that tonight, it will be another cakewalk for Nova. It will be the final game of captain Ryan Arcidiacono who had led his team since his start with the team.
UNC Tar Heels
UNC has the stars, Brice Johnson and Marcus Paige to name a couple, ready to end their college career on a high note and begin their journey to the NBA. The Tar Heels did not have quite the offensive performance that Nova did this weekend against Syracuse, however, they will create quite the mismatch against Nova’s mostly perimeter offense. The height of UNC’s big men will gave them quite the advantage against Nova’s one true big man, Daniel Ochefu. Villanova’s ability to defend will make life difficult for the Heels who had difficulty getting their offense started against Syracuse.
