North Carolina, Gonzaga to meet in NCAA final

North Carolina’s Isaiah Hicks (4) drives against Oregon’s Keith Smith during the first half in the semifinals of the Final Four NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, April 1, 2017, in Glendale, Ariz.

The two Final Four games – SC vs. Gonzaga and North Carolina vs. OR – delivered the second highest average semifinals rating in 12 years with an overnight rating of 10.4/21.

Kennedy Meeks kept attacking the boards, posting up deep in the paint and playing with an aggressive edge that hasn’t always been there through his North Carolina career. They had the heart of a lion and we are happy and thankful to be moving on. “And with six blocks, you know, my career high is seven, but six is still good”.

What happens next? SC loses its top scorer in Thornwell and its top defender in Notice, and sophomore point guard PJ Dozier – who had National Basketball Association scouts watching him nearly every game this season – will face the decision on whether to jump to the next level.

Collins picked up the slack while Karnowski was out and again down the stretch after SC keyed on Williams-Goss, scoring inside, swatting away shots on defense. “I think that’s been a topic of speculation, because we haven’t really had many close games”. SC had chances to tie the game in the final two minutes but Rakym Felder missed a jumper with 1:37 remaining and Dozier came up empty on a three-pointer with 1:12 left.

“Definitely start with that, probably end with that”, Few said.

Gonzaga forward Zach Collins blocks a shot by SC forward Maik Kotsar (21) during the second half in the semifinals of the Final Four NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, April 1, 2017, in Glendale, Ariz. Kennedy Meeks has stepped up during the tournament as well, but if one or more of those guys are contained, it gets harder for the Tar Heels to cope.

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — So much of the attention leading up to North Carolina’s Final Four game against OR dealt with how point guard Joel Berry II would handle playing with two sprained ankles.

Share with Us – We’d love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article, and smart, constructive criticism. “But I told him, ‘Buddy, you got 16 rebounds. So I just took it upon myself to do the best job I could, whether it was having a great defensive game, scoring the ball when I can, or getting all the rebounds”. “It was very stressful”, said Logan. “Now we’re 40 minutes from a championship”.

Collins regained the lead for Gonzaga when his 3-pointer bounced around and in, starting a 7-0 run.

South Carolina’s postseason run will no doubt raise Martin’s profile on the recruiting trail. The seventh-seeded Gamecocks scored 5 straight to get within 74-72 with just over 2 minutes left. “I thought we were pressing a little bit with guys trying to make plays, but I can’t fault our competitiveness”. “And we try to do our best to respond the way we learn how to respond”.

Pinson made his first 3 of the tournament and had helped Carolina keep the ball after Meeks’ pair of misses. “I’m so proud of them”. Tall people? They were simply glorified goalkeepers or, in the current vernacular, “rim protectors”. He left for the last 5 minutes of the half, but Collins picked him up, finishing with 8 points at halftime.

“I mean, that run SC made on us, that just shows the heart of a lion that they have”. He returned for the second half and said Sunday he was fine. “I’ve never won a game from the bench”. Despite his eighteen points, Ennis shot 7-of-19 and a crucial 2-of-9 from 3-point range. And hey, who knows: If Meeks plays his not-as-big-as-it-used-to-be butt off against Gonzaga on Monday night, Williams might compose a sonnet and Pinson will have a new impression to master.

Still, Oregon almost pulled off the upset win. The Bulldogs, who had a considerable size advantage, were determined to ride their two 7-footers, and, boy, did the Zags’ twin towers deliver. Silva had three for the Gamecocks, while Thornwell had two and Dozier had one.

In the nightcap, Jackson – a possible lottery pick in 2017 – paced the way for North Carolina in a 77-76 win.

Williams-Goss hit mid-range jumper after mid-range jumper against SC, which usually hangs back in the paint on ball-screens.

It has been, enough to bring Martin to tears Saturday when asked about what this magical run has meant to people back in SC. The 6-foot-9 senior never recovered, missing a layup moments later on his way to a 1 for 12 shooting performance.

North Carolina and Gonzaga meet Monday night at the University of Phoenix Stadium.

Williams is 6-9 and he gave SC star Sindarius Thornwell fits in the semifinals. Totals 25-66 16-22 73.

Gonzaga (37-1) is making its first-ever title game appearance.

Ultimately, two factors point to a Gonzaga win. It allows them some flexibility in case Przemek Karnowski finds himself in foul trouble, or Nigel Williams-Goss isn’t proving as effective as he can be.