The 2017 NCAA Tournament final features the Gonzaga Bulldogs versus North Carolina Tar Heels.
The March Madness portion of the 2017 NCAA Tournament may be over, but there is still one question to be resolved. Who will be the 2017 NCAA Champions? That question will be answered this evening when the Gozaga Bulldogs tip off in the final versus the North Carolina Tar Heels.
Final Four Games:
The two teams dispensed of their Final Four opponents over the weekend. First, Gonzaga paved their way by beating the South Carolina Gamecocks 77-73. North Carolina arrived to the finals after ousting the Oregon Ducks in a nail biter which the Tar Heels prevailed in 77-76.
Odds are if you have one of these two (or both) remaining in your bracket then March Madness flew by. Conversely if like a number of us you arrived to this evening with neither squad in your bracket then tonight seemed to take an eternity to reach.
The Finalists:
As for the two finalist they are extremely different. North Carolina returns to the final game in consecutive seasons. The Tar Heels lost last season in one of the most exciting finishes in NCAA Tournament history when Villanova hit on the last shot of the game. This is North Carolina’s tenth finals appearance where they have a 50 percent winning record (5-5). Alternatively, this is Gonzaga’s first appearance.
There were a number of upsets in the tournament with last seasons champ Villanova losing early as well as top seeded Kansas and three top contenders Kentucky, Duke and Ariizona bowing out. That said, the Bulldogs and Tar Heels offer arguably the top two teams from the original 68 who began the tournament.
Game Specifics:
Both squads boast interior prowess with North Carolina ranked first on the boards (specifically offensively) and Gonzaga featuring the top effective field goal defense.
Portland Trail Blazers assistant coach (and Canadian National Team head coach) Jay Triano’s son is on the Gonzaga team, though not a key contributor.
The 2017 NCAA Tournament final game is set for 9 p.m. ET airing on CBS with an expected tip off time of 9:20 p.m. The broadcast team will feature the announcing team of Jim Nantz, Bill Raftery, Grant Hill and Tracy Wolfson.
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Oddsmakers have North Carolina as the initial favorite (by a single point) with an over-under of 155 points. In essence the odds predict a tightly contested final.