March Madness didn’t disappoint yet again.
An upset-filled tournament is always a welcome sight, and there were plenty this time around.
Top overall seed Villanova didn’t make it to the second weekend. Neither did 2-seeds Duke and Louisville.
Villanova (13 percent) and Duke (12 percent) were among a group of only four schools that had double-digit percentages to win the championship in brackets filled out by fans on ESPN’s Tournament Challenge.
Another one of those schools, Kansas (11.1 percent), saw its dreams end short of the Final Four on Saturday. North Carolina (15.2 percent) is the only program to survive and advance to the Final Four.
So it’ll be a year of firsts in Phoenix.
Gonzaga and South Carolina are making their first trips to the Final Four, and Oregon is going for the first time since 1939.
All three schools’ coaches can finally drop the dubious “never been to a Final Four” title, too. Gonzaga’s Mark Few, Oregon’s Dana Altman and South Carolina’s Frank Martin are among the most respected coaches in the game and certainly had been near the top of any “best coach to never reach Final Four” lists.
With that, we’ll look ahead to the Final Four.
Oregon
The Path: def. Iona 93-77, def. Rhode Island 75-72, def. Michigan 69-68, def. Kansas 74-60.
Why they’ll win: They’re a well-coached, talented team that just knocked off a team, Kansas, in a road-like atmosphere in Kansas City, Mo. Oregon reached the Elite Eight a season ago, and weren’t going to be satisfied by simply making it back.
Why they’ll lose: Well, maybe people will remember the Chris Boucher injury in the Final Four if Jordan Bell gets into foul trouble, or the Ducks struggle to establish an inside presence.
Prediction: The Ducks are a determined bunch who aren’t “just happy” to be there, even if the fan base is. Expect the Ducks to knock off North Carolina with another strong performance by Bell on the inside and Dorsey on the outside before falling in a close battle in the championship game against Gonzaga.
North Carolina
The Path: def. Texas Southern 103-64, def. Arkansas 72-65, def. Butler 92-80, def. Kentucky 75-73.
Why they’ll win: Junior guard Joel Berry II gives UNC a veteran presence in the backcourt, forward Justin Jackson is playing well and is an NBA talent, and sophomore Luke Maye showed the clutch gene with the game-winner in the Elite Eight.
Why they’ll lose: North Carolina lost two of its last four games going into this tournament, so has been prone to deliver disappointing games.
Prediction: The Tar Heels fall short to Oregon as the Final Four goes full West Coast in Phoenix. UNC would love to win title No. 6 and break a tie for third most with rival Duke and Indiana, but don’t get it done this season.
Gonzaga
The Path: def. South Dakota State 66-46, def. Northwestern 79-73, def. West Virginia 61-58, def. Xavier 83-59.
Why they’ll win: Coach Mark Few has finally reached the Final Four, and isn’t going to be overwhelmed by the moment. Plus Few has the talent to win it all.
Why they’ll lose: They’ve looked beatable throughout the tournament. Heck, 16-seed South Dakota State hung with the Zags almost the entire game and Northwestern had a questionable officiating call help derail its upset bid.
Prediction: Gonzaga wins the national championship. The Zags haven’t looked like the best team much of this tournament, but found their stride in the Elite Eight against Xavier.
South Carolina
The Path: def. Marquette 93-73, def. Duke 88-81, def. Baylor 70-50, def. Florida 77-70.
Why they’ll win: Talented, veteran backcourts always matter in March, and the Gamecocks are led by Sindarius Thornwell, the SEC player of the year, and PJ Dozier.
Why they’ll lose: The magic has to run out at some point, right? Fewer than 1 percent of the brackets on ESPN’s Tournament Challenge had the Gamecocks reaching this point and even fewer (0.1 percent) had them winning it all.
Prediction: Remember Oklahoma running out of magic a year ago despite having Buddy Hield? This South Carolina team feels as though it could do the same, as good as Thornwell is.