The NCAA tournament’s Final Four weekend has arrived as the remaining four teams face off in Houston Saturday. The Daily Helmsman asked its sports editor Omer Yusuf and its sports reporters Austin Reynolds, J.T. Mullen and Chip Williams their predictions for Saturday, and have they enjoyed the NCAA tournament this season, among other things.
What team are you most surprised is not in the Final Four and why?
OY: Michigan State. I still can’t believe the Spartans fell to Middle Tennessee State in the first round. Tom Izzo’s teams typically don’t flame out in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Plus it destroyed my bracket on day one.
AR: Michigan State. I thought they were the best team in the country, and then they lost to MTSU. I still don't know what the deal with that game was, but I still believe had they won they could've made the Final Four.
JM: This may be cliché but I'm picking the No. 1 overall team. I'm still surprised Kansas didn't make it to the Final Four. Bill Self's squad seemed like the best all around team going into the Tournament. This team was shooting 50 percent from the field and more than 40 percent behind the arc. They were one of the deepest teams in the country and had two incredible players in Wayne Selden Jr. and Perry Ellis, which is why I had them not only making the Final Four, but winning the title.
CW: Kansas. I thought they had a great shot of winning the title. They were loaded with talented veterans, and I thought top to bottom they had one of the best rosters in the country.
What are your predictions for Saturday?
OY: I have to go with Oklahoma over Villanova, because I picked the Sooners to win it all. I’ll pick North Carolina over Syracuse. Syracuse had no business being in the NCAA Tournament in the first place, so surely their ACC rivals can end its Cinderella run.
AR: Oklahoma over Villanova because Buddy Hield will do Buddy Hield things. North Carolina over Syracuse because I'm still confused why Syracuse is here.
JM: I'm taking Oklahoma and UNC. I think UNC is the best team in the Final Four and Oklahoma clearly has the best player in Buddy Hield. Even though Villanova is playing incredibly well, I think stopping Hield is too tall of a task with the pieces he has around him. For Syracuse, its run has been exciting, but UNC is on a whole other level. I think Paige and the Tar Heels roll to an easy win over the Orange.
CW: I think we're going to get an Oklahoma versus North Carolina title game. UNC is probably the most talented team left, and Oklahoma is led by the best player left in the tournament and maybe in all of college basketball in Buddy Hield.
What's been your favorite tournament moment so far?
OY: Northern Iowa’s Paul Jesperson’s half-court game winner against Texas, though it indirectly led to the biggest collapse in the history of college basketball a few days later, it was my favorite moment so far.
AR: There's been so many good ones, but my favorite is probably Northern Iowa's half-court game-winner at the buzzer over Texas.
JM: Although I wanted Northern Iowa to win, Texas A&M's historic 12-point comeback in the final 44 seconds had to be my favorite moment. Talk about an emotional game. It seemed Northern Iowa had it in the bag, but the Aggies wouldn't go away. The comeback, as well as the two overtimes, made that easily one of the best games of the tournament.
CW: Honestly, it's almost impossible for me to nail down one moment because the entire first weekend was about as good of a first weekend as I can remember. But if I had to pick one, it would probably be when MTSU knocked off Michigan State in what will go down as one of the biggest upsets of all time.
Overall, have you enjoyed the NCAA Tournament this season?
OY: The NCAA tournament has made up for a lackluster college basketball season. Hopefully, this weekend’s Final Four will help cap off a memorable “March Madness.”
AR: The opening weekend was one of the best ones that I can remember. Hopefully the Final Four lives up to the hype as well.
JM: This tournament has been great. The first two rounds were so unpredictable and entertaining. Although the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight didn't produce as many Cinderella's as I hoped, the games were still fantastic. Nine games in the Sweet 16 were decided by fewer than 10 points, while the best teams really separated themselves in the Elite Eight. I don't think this year's tourney could have been much more exciting.
CW: I've absolutely enjoyed it. In general, I tend to prefer the NBA to college basketball, but the NCAA tournament is about as entertaining a sporting event that exists. This year we've had some incredible games and upsets, and we've all gotten to watch Buddy Hield be virtually unstoppable. It's been great.
