BUDDY and MORE One More Quick Look Before Tip-Off
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
NCAA MEN’S FINAL FOUR IN HOUSTON BUDDY AND MORE One more quick look before tip-off. NORTH CAROLINA VS. SYRACUSE VILLANOVA VS. OKLAHOMA 7:49 p.m. Saturday, TV: TBS (16) 5:09 p.m. Saturday, TV: TBS (16) FOR STARTERS FOR STARTERS It’s Round 3 for the ACC rivals. The Tar Heels won both These teams met earlier in the season and the Sooners regular-season meetings by wrecking the Orange’s zone turned it into a laugher behind a barrage of three-point- with their strong post play. Fail to figure out how to stop ers, making 14 behind the arc in the 78-55 win. Expect North Carolina inside and the Tar Heels could sweep into this one to be much closer and more entertaining. the title game. THE STARS THE STARS Buddy Hield, Oklahoma. If you don’t know who Buddy Brice Johnson, North Carolina. All-American is a matchup Buckets is, you haven’t been following college hoops nightmare on offense and has become a shot-blocking — or sports, for that matter. menace late in the season. Josh Hart, Villanova. On a team with no true stars, Buddy Hield Michael Gbinije, Syracuse. Need a basket, rebound, as- Hart stands out because of how hard he plays — is coming off sist or steal? He’s the man for the Orange. on every play. a 37-point CRUNCHING NUMBERS CRUNCHING NUMBERS showing 10: Syracuse’s seed in the NCAA Tournament, making the 22: Years since Lon Kruger last coached in the against Or- Orange the first No. 10 and fourth double-digit seed to Final Four, with Florida. egon in the reach the Final Four. Elite Eight LAST WORDS AP LAST WORDS “I think we learned a lot from Oklahoma. “I don’t know if we look at ourselves as Cinderella. We’re They were the team we wanted to be. It Syracuse. We’re not normally a 10 seed, and I think that was a great barometer for us all through we’ve proved that through this tournament.” — Syracuse the season.” — Villanova coach Jay Wright guard Trevor Cooney.