In the aftermath of Syracuse University’s (N.Y.) astonishing run to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Final Four, Senior Staff Writer Andrew Burnside and Asst. Sports Editor Avery Yang stepped aside from the chaos to discuss their picks for the Final Four and the championship game happening this Saturday and Monday, respectively.
No. 10 Syracuse University (N.Y.) vs. No. 1 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Andrew Burnside: Could it happen? Could it be? Could a No. 10 seed actually make it to the championship? Has that ever happened?
Avery Yang: Nah, a No. 10 seed hasn’t even ever made the Final Four. I still have Syracuse beating North Carolina here, though.
AB: You’re an idiot. Syracuse shouldn’t even be in this game. They got lucky, and the University of Virginia just totally blew it.
AY: Honestly, if Syracuse guard Malachi Richardson can will his team to victory against a No. 1 seed once, he can lead them to victory against another No. 1 seed. That’s basic logic, right?
AB: Last game, Richardson wasn’t paired up against UNC forward Brice Johnson; no way Richardson has another game like that. Anyway, UNC never blows games against lower seeds — well, almost never.
AY: I’m going with my gut, because I’m an “idiot,” Burnside. 76-69, Syracuse wins. Malachi drops 28. I guarantee it.
AB: I’m not going to say there isn’t a chance, but it’s just not very likely. UNC is definitely the more talented team, but they are prone to losing bad games. Also, when Syracuse is hitting shots, they’re hard to stop. My vote is 68-63 for North Carolina.
No. 2 Villanova University (Penn.) vs. No. 2 University of Oklahoma
AY: This one is a very, very tough one — one of the hardest games of the entire tournament. Oklahoma guard Buddy Hield is on a streak that Villanova will not be able to stop. Dude can put up shots from anywhere within 25 feet. Villanova’s fundamentals — reducing turnovers, distributing on the perimeter — will be key to them winning this game. They play a good brand of basketball, and it’s shown all year.
AB: There’s no doubt that Hield is the best player in college basketball this year, but Villanova definitely has the better team. If Villanova keeps Hield from shooting above 45 percent, I believe that they’ll have a easy victory. For Oklahoma to win this game, they need to take care of the ball and make space for Hield.
AY: Fair enough. This game might be a lot less close than pundits have made it out to be. I could see one side or the other shooting the other team out of the gym.
AB: I totally agree — my prediction is 78-66, Oklahoma.
AY: Wow, we agree for once. Oklahoma wins 71-58.
Who’s Winning It All?
AB: If Oklahoma can keep up their one-man wrecking ball, then I would have to go with the Sooners. However, UNC definitely has the better team, and it would be hard for Hield to overcome this game all by himself.
AY: Oklahoma vs. Syracuse: the bout of the century. Syracuse will win it all, and it will be a ridiculous story for media outlets to jump on the bandwagon of for the next few weeks. Commentators everywhere will speculate how much Syracuse Head Coach Jim Boeheim, the Syracuse staff and the Syracuse administration paid the NCAA’s slush fund to even compete in this tournament in the first place. Syracuse beats Oklahoma 69-63. Malachi scores 36.
AB: You’re absolutely ridiculous… How did you even get hired here? UNC beats Oklahoma 68-65 with a dominant performance from Johnson.
AY: Thanks, Burnside. I ask myself the same question every day… about you.
