OFFICIAL Discussion Thread For 2nd NCAA National Semifinal, Oregon/UNC, April 1

[CDC84]

Tip time is tentatively scheduled for 5:49pm PT on CBS. The game will take place at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

(3) Oregon (Midwest champ) vs. (1) North Carolina (South champ)

[75Zag]

For those of you who live in the Pacific NW, which is the worst case scenario?
#1 - GU wins on Saturday and loses to Oregon on Monday?
#2 - GU loses on Saturday?

Having listened to Oregon football fans explain their greatness and genetic superiority for the past 10 or 12 or (seems like) 100 years, I think I might choose option #2 as the lesser of two evils. Although my obvious preference is that GU and UNC both win on Saturday and GU wins again on Monday.

Go Bulldogs!

[kitzbuel]

For those of you who live in the Pacific NW, which is the worst case scenario?
#1 - GU wins on Saturday and loses to Oregon on Monday?
#2 - GU loses on Saturday?

Having listened to Oregon football fans explain their greatness and genetic superiority for the past 10 or 12 or (seems like) 100 years, I think I might choose option #2 as the lesser of two evils. Although my obvious preference is that GU and UNC both win on Saturday and GU wins again on Monday.

Go Bulldogs!

Win em both.

[GrizZAG]

For those of you who live in the Pacific NW, which is the worst case scenario?
#1 - GU wins on Saturday and loses to Oregon on Monday?
#2 - GU loses on Saturday?

Having listened to Oregon football fans explain their greatness and genetic superiority for the past 10 or 12 or (seems like) 100 years, I think I might choose option #2 as the lesser of two evils. Although my obvious preference is that GU and UNC both win on Saturday and GU wins again on Monday.

Go Bulldogs!

Man do I know what you are talking about. I took a transfer to Portland for six years. Half of my staff were Ducks and the other half Beavers. I completely was turned off and increasingly repulsed by exactly what you are talking about. I would love to beat SC and put an A$$ whooping on the Ducks.

[CDC84]

I have always wondered why CBS chooses these odd final 4 game times. For instance, 5:49pm PT/8:49pm ET?

Why not just make it 6pm/9pm?

I think that UNC is going to have quite an advantage that Kansas didn't have in preparing for the Boucher-less Ducks. The Ducks really have had to change a lot of stuff since they lost him. Heels have a whole week to prepare.

[RenoZag]

Discussion of key match-ups for Oregon - UNC are available here: https://theringer.com/the-three-most...me-e88c881dc7a

2. How will UNC deal with the Oregon zone?
On paper, Kansas star Josh Jackson presented just as many matchup problems for Oregon in the Elite Eight as Justin Jackson, but the Ducks were able to hold him in check, thanks to Jackson’s early foul trouble, as well as the intricacies of their matchup zone. The Jayhawks’ high-powered offense was bewildered by the way Altman switched his defenses over the course of the game, while Jordan Bell’s ability to completely lock down the paint gave Oregon a ton of flexibility when it came to how the Ducks deployed the four guys in front of him.

Even if the matchups when they play man aren’t favorable for Oregon, it won’t matter if they can zone UNC and force the Tar Heels to beat them from the high post and the 3-point line. Roy Williams teams like to run-and-gun and push the pace at every opportunity, so the Ducks should slow the game down and force the Heels to execute in the half court. Beating a zone requires shooting and playmaking from your frontcourt players, not a strength of either Hicks or Kennedy Meeks, which means the Tar Heels may need another big performance from backup power forward and unlikely March hero Luke Maye.

[CDC84]

More: http://www.sportingnews.com/ncaa-bas...214faiw48gb7qu

OREGON

Why they might win it: Jordan Bell has become the ultimate luxury for the Ducks in the wake of losing center Chris Boucher to a knee injury during the Pac-12 Tournament. He is a massive physical presence who moves like a small forward. It’s extremely difficult for opposing bigs to keep up with him, even though he’s not a great threat to score from the perimeter. Michigan had to remove center Mo Wagner from its Sweet 16 game against the Ducks, and Kansas center Landen Lucas was lost for that reason in the Elite Eight.

North Carolina plays the vast majority of the time with two true baseline players on the floor; the only exception has been the introduction of shooter Luke Maye to greater prominence in the rotation. The Heels have relied plenty on their ability to offensive rebound and either score immediately or spend the extra possessions on shots by Jackson or Berry. The Ducks very well could take away one of UNC’s primary strengths within the first few minutes.
They also have become an excellent perimeter scoring team, with Dorsey’s development into a 20-point man the most important element of that strength.

Why they won’t: A week of watching tape will give the Heels plenty of time to prepare for the differences in Oregon’s new approach. Kansas had only a short turnaround to devise a plan to cope with the Ducks’ dynamism. Dorsey may struggle to find shooting room against Jackson’s reach. Oregon isn’t getting much lately from its point guard position, with freshman Payton Pritchard losing his influence and veteran Casey Benson lacking the talent to make a real difference at this level.

NORTH CAROLINA

Why they’ll win it: The Tar Heels’ late comebacks in NCAA Tournament games against Arkansas and Kentucky have sealed what appeared to be the one severe crack in the team’s construction. Senior guard Nate Britt said coach Roy Williams told the team in a timeout with five minutes left against UK and the Heels down 64-59, “This is just like Arkansas; you’ve got to get stops and you’ve got to make plays. And you’re tough enough to do it.”

And they were. And they are. The Heels’ physical toughness has never been a major issue; this is among the best offensive rebounding teams. But they have advanced beyond their ugly losses at Miami and Virginia and the second-half collapse in the ACC semifinals against Duke. There are few games more pressurized than the one that pits two teams on the verge of the Final Four, and Carolina performed in in those final minutes against Kentucky with great confidence.

The escalation of forward Justin Jackson’s game to include defensive excellence was a bit of a revelation Sunday. Williams wanted defensive stopper Theo Pinson to cope with UK point guard De’Aaron Fox and offered plenty of help from big defenders. Jackson was mostly on his own against Malik Monk, who’d stung the Heels for 47 points in their first meeting. Jackson was a one-man swarm and held Monk to just six points in the first 39 minutes. That will help against Oregon, probably on “Mr. March” Tyler Dorsey in the semifinals. Jackson also might be the most difficult player to defend of all those at the Final Four because of his ability to shoot over defenders whether from 22 feet or six.

Why they might not: Following Sunday’s game point guard Joel Berry acknowledged he had played with severe pain in his ankle after twisting it in the first half. He’d previously hurt his ankle in the team’s NCAA opener.

“I feel a lot worse than I did against Texas Southern, but we’ve got a whole week off this time,” Berry said. It was his absence against Duke because of foul issues that led to Carolina blowing a double-digit lead. That’s how important he is.

There also is the matter of how this team’s preferred two-big lineup with match up with Oregon’s breathtaking athleticism and mobility. Will the Heels be forced to match down, playing one big man with 6-8 Jackson, 6-6 Pinson and two guards?

[BBzag]

I have always wondered why CBS chooses these odd final 4 game times. For instance, 5:49pm PT/8:49pm ET? Why not just make it 6pm/9pm?

The second game starts 40 minutes after the end of the first one (as usual) - so since game one starts at 3:09 PT, they're assuming it will end precisely in two hours at 5:09, which we all know won't happen.

[RenoZag]

Mandel: UNC the Luckiest Team in the Final Four

http://www.si.com/college-basketball/2017/03/28/unc-tar-heels-ncaa-investigation-final-four

It’s long been a matter of when, not if, the NCAA levies some form of heavy penalty against the UNC athletic department. The case is widely considered the most egregious academic fraud scandal in NCAA history, so concerning to the Committee on Infractions that at one point last year the judges essentially sent the file back to the prosecutors to make a stronger case.

That’s just one of many unusual steps that’s given North Carolina an extended reprieve the past several years—and the Tar Heels have certainly made the most of it.

Williams has lamented many times over the past several years the cloud of the school’s seemingly never-ending NCAA saga. “I’m tired of this junk,” Williams, 66, said in December following another development. “… I’d hoped that the NCAA thing would be over before I retired. Now I’m hoping it will be over before I die.”

[caduceus]

http://www.si.com/college-basketball...ion-final-four

Sounds like a forfeit is in order.

[Dunk Master]

I heard Joel Berry's ankle is still pretty tender I like Oregon in this one in a close game.

[CDC84]

The second game starts 40 minutes after the end of the first one (as usual) - so since game one starts at 3:09 PT, they're assuming it will end precisely in two hours at 5:09, which we all know won't happen.

But that gets back to the gist of my original point. Why 3:09pm? Why not 3? We don't see 7:17pm and 30 seconds on GU ticket stubs, or even with any games on ESPN, CBS, etc.

[CDC84]

http://www.si.com/college-basketball...ion-final-four

I haven't followed the details of this case, largely because it is so complicated and it has been going on forever. How much do people think UNC basketball was involved compared to UNC football? It was my original understanding that this was primarily a UNC football issue, which isn't to say that other athletic programs might not have taken advantage of the situation to push their athletes through.

[Hoopaholic]

But that gets back to the gist of my original point. Why 3:09pm? Why not 3? We don't see 7:17pm and 30 seconds on GU ticket stubs, or even with any games on ESPN, CBS, etc.

Commercial maximization to allow prime time spots in lead up to tipoff that you could not garner with straight top or bottom of hour without having huge extended pre game format

[jazzdelmar]

Not much to look at yet.