2017 Final Four
The 2017 NCAA tournament has been a thrilling ride, and it all comes to a peak in Phoenix for 2017 the Final Four. These four left standing have fought and clawed their way to the top, but now only two remain. The first game featured mid-major darling Gonzaga against the Cinderella South Carolina Gamecocks. This game was the perfect opener with the Oregon Ducks taking on a very experienced North Carolina Tarheels team in the second match-up of the night. Heroes became legends, and hearts got broken tonight.
Zags top Gamecocks in Thriller
Gonzaga and South Carolina battled in the Final Four to try and make the NCAA Championship game for the first time in either’s program history. Fans and players alike went in knowing that a win here means you are one win away from cutting down the final set of nets. The Bulldogs realized their dream at the end of the contest defeating the Gamecocks by a score of 77 to 73.
Nigel Williams-Goss left it all on the court for his Bulldogs posting an impressive 23 points, six assists, and five rebounds. Zach Collins came off the bench for Gonzaga and posted 14 points to go along with 13 rebounds. Gonzaga as a team shot 47.4 percent from beyond the arc.
South Carolina’s miracle journey all the way to the Final Four has come to an end despite valiant efforts from PJ Dozier and Chris Silva. Dozier posted 17 points and nine rebounds while Silva had a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds. The Gamecocks have nothing to hang their heads over though as almost no one had them making it out of the second round, much less making it to the Final Four.
Gonzaga has advanced to the championship game for the first time in school history after years of coming up short. They play Monday night to try and capture a title for the first time.
Heels Beat Ducks by a Rebound
Carolina fans had to be going into this 2017 Final Four game against the Ducks thinking there was no way it could get as crazy as the elite eight game against Kentucky. Those fans would also be completely wrong. The Tarheels survived a match that went down to the bitter wire. Theo Pinson and Kennedy Meeks both had to snag down a rebound after four missed free throws overall from their team.
North Carolina wins, but it was sloppy the entire 40 minutes. Kennedy Meeks carried his team over Oregon with 25 points and 14 rebounds. He also went 11 for 13 from the field while Justin Jackson chipped in 22 points as well. Joel Berry struggled from the field but did play 35 minutes despite the ankle injury.
Oregon comes up just short of a championship game but ends the season with a great run in the tournament. Tyler Dorsey finished the game with 21 points and four rebounds while big man Jordan Bell dominated with 13 points and 16 rebounds. The Ducks will look to not being able to secure a last-minute rebound with two opportunities as the reason they are going home one game early.
Gonzaga and North Carolina will tip off for the Championship on Monday Night.
