Final Four Preview: Each Team’s Biggest Weakness
All the Final Four teams come to Houston on fire, but let's preview each team's biggest weakness and what Achilles heel could pour cold water on title hopes.
All the Final Four teams come to Houston on fire, but let’s preview each team’s biggest weakness and what Achilles heel could pour cold water on title hopes.
The stars are shining and teams are coming together to win the most important games they’ve ever played. Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield has scored at will, while North Carolina’s Brice Johnson has hit the boards with authority. Syracuse’s zone defense and full-court press have shut down opponents and allowed a pair of remarkable comebacks. Villanova’s veteran leadership has resulted in consistent overall play at a very high level.
Now, as the teams make their way to Houston for the Final Four, coaches and players alike shift their focus to winning one more game. And then, one more to achieve the ultimate goal. So what will it take to exploit a very good team’s weakness? Here’s a look at what could put a stop to each Final Four team’s momentum.
North Carolina Tar Heels
The Tar Heels are an overwhelming favorite to reach the NCAA championship game for the 10th time. They’ll match up with Syracuse, who enters Saturday’s game as a nine-point underdog. The teams squared off twice already this season with North Carolina winning both times, though both games were competitive.
Oklahoma Sooners
The easy way to beat the Sooners is to shut down Buddy Hield, the prolific shooting guard who has carried his team all season and continues to do so in the tournament. It worked for West Virginia, who held Hield to six points on 1-of-8 shooting in the Big 12 Tournament and narrowly escaped after Hield’s half courter was ruled to be a fraction of a second late.
Syracuse Orange
It doesn’t feel right to call a major program like Syracuse a Cinderella team, but that’s exactly what they are after becoming the first No. 10 seed in tournament history to reach the Final Four. This is a team that struggled considerably early in the season while Jim Boeheim served a suspension for NCAA violations. But the Orange never gave up. They stuck together through the early adversity and fought until the end despite facing double digit deficits in the second half against Gonzaga and Virginia.
Villanova Wildcats
Villanova is as balanced of a team as you’ll find – the Wildcats have seven players averaging more than six points per game with four in double digits. They’re explosive offensively, and allowed just 63 points per game during the regular season.
