Who has the edge?
The Oregon Ducks and North Carolina Tar Heels are set to take the court at the Final Four on Saturday in Glendale, Arizona.
Before the game tips off , here's a head-to-head look at which team has the edge in the categories that should decide whose season ends, and whose season continues into Monday night's national championship game.
Shooting: How hot is Oregon guard Tyler Dorsey's shooting in the NCAA Tournament? Let's put it this way: Stephen Curry would likely be envious. Dorsey is shooting 65.4 percent from three-point range in his last four games, while shooting 68.0 percent on two-point field goals. He headlines a UO offense whose 38.4 percent shooting from deep ranks 37th nationally, and whose 54.7 percent shooting on two-pointers is 18th. The Tar Heels shoot 36.2 percent from deep and 51.5 percent from inside the arc.
Advantage: Oregon
Rebounding: North Carolina is the best offensive-rebounding team in the country, and 6-foot-10 center Kennedy Meeks is outstanding individually on the glass. Oregon must hope Jordan Bell, who has grabbed at least 12 rebounds in every game during this tournament, can neutralize some of the Tar Heels' rebounding advantage, but the 6-9 Bell can't do it alone. Oregon coach Dana Altman has continually asked guards Tyler Dorsey and Dylan Ennis to be better about running toward the rim on defense to search for rebounds instead of leaking out in the open court for a bucket in transition. North Carolina is better on the boards, but Oregon has decreased opponents' offensive rebounds by a rebound-and-a-half since the season-ending knee injury to 6-11 Chris Boucher in the Pac-12 tournament. Yet there is still work to be done: 6-11 Kavell Bigby-Williams, thrust into a more meaningful role after Boucher's injury, has averaged just 2.8 rebounds in UO's four tournament games, while averaging 11 minutes. He must do more against the Tar Heels.
Advantage: North Carolina
UNC offense vs. Oregon defense: Oregon is allowing seven more points per game in its last five games compared to its season average, and will play against a lineup that could expose its lack of big-man depth. UNC posts Kennedy Meeks, Tony Bradley and Luke Maye will be a load to guard. The Tar Heels are one of the few programs that still run their offense from the inside-out, where passes into the low block have not become an endangered species. Nearly 56 percent of the Tar Heels' points come from inside the three-point line, the 35th-highest percentage in the country. On the perimeter, ACC player of the year Justin Jackson averaged 18 points per game this season at the small forward position. Though he has insisted he will be ready to play Saturday, UNC guard Joel Berry injured both ankles within the past two weeks and his effectiveness could be called into question. To combat the sixth most-effective offense in the country this season, Oregon will again mix-and-match its defenses, moving from zone to man sometimes from possession to possession. While UNC will try to take advantage in the post, expect Williams to go after freshman point guard Payton Pritchard, as well. The Ducks are playing with extreme confidence right now, however, after limiting Kansas -- which had scored 90-plus points in three games to open the tournament -- to 60 in the Midwest Regional final.
Advantage: Oregon
Oregon offense vs. UNC defense: The Ducks have the 16th most efficient offense in the country. The Tar Heels are 17th in defense. The Ducks like to score from around the perimeter. The Tar Heels have great length to defend around the perimeter. The Ducks have Tyler Dorsey. UNC does not. The Oregon sophomore has scored 20 points or more in seven consecutive games, more than making up for the production lost with Chris Boucher's injury. Coupled with the dynamic Dillon Brooks, the Ducks have one of the best one-two combos remaining in the tournament. If those two can find their rhythm with guards like Payton Pritchard, Dylan Ennis and Casey Benson knocking down some shots, the Ducks will be very tough, even for UNC, to defend. A potential X-factor? Jordan Bell has scored 16 or more points in three of Oregon's last five games.
Advantage: Oregon
Intangibles: Compared to the rest of college basketball, the Ducks are no spring chickens. Dillon Brooks and Jordan Bell are both three-year starters, Dylan Ennis is in his sixth year of college basketball and all but three players on this roster were members of Oregon's Elite Eight team a year ago. The Ducks are experienced. But they have nothing on North Carolina. Not only have the Tar Heels been to 18 more Final Fours than Oregon, three of their starters on this year's team started on the team that fell just a basket short of winning the national title a year ago. Oregon has gritted out tough wins all season and banded together after losing Chris Boucher in the Pac-12 tournament to an ACL tear. The Ducks have yet to find a stage too grand. But the Tar Heels are the only ones who have played in this type of environment before and faced their own challenge in getting back here after coming so close a year ago.
Advantage: North Carolina
The Oregon Ducks and North Carolina Tar Heels are set to take the court at the Final Four on Saturday in Glendale, Arizona.
Before the game tips off , here's a head-to-head look at which team has the edge in the categories that should decide whose season ends, and whose season continues into Monday night's national championship game.
Shooting: How hot is Oregon guard Tyler Dorsey's shooting in the NCAA Tournament? Let's put it this way: Stephen Curry would likely be envious. Dorsey is shooting 65.4 percent from three-point range in his last four games, while shooting 68.0 percent on two-point field goals. He headlines a UO offense whose 38.4 percent shooting from deep ranks 37th nationally, and whose 54.7 percent shooting on two-pointers is 18th. The Tar Heels shoot 36.2 percent from deep and 51.5 percent from inside the arc.
Advantage: Oregon
Rebounding: North Carolina is the best offensive-rebounding team in the country, and 6-foot-10 center Kennedy Meeks is outstanding individually on the glass. Oregon must hope Jordan Bell, who has grabbed at least 12 rebounds in every game during this tournament, can neutralize some of the Tar Heels' rebounding advantage, but the 6-9 Bell can't do it alone. Oregon coach Dana Altman has continually asked guards Tyler Dorsey and Dylan Ennis to be better about running toward the rim on defense to search for rebounds instead of leaking out in the open court for a bucket in transition. North Carolina is better on the boards, but Oregon has decreased opponents' offensive rebounds by a rebound-and-a-half since the season-ending knee injury to 6-11 Chris Boucher in the Pac-12 tournament. Yet there is still work to be done: 6-11 Kavell Bigby-Williams, thrust into a more meaningful role after Boucher's injury, has averaged just 2.8 rebounds in UO's four tournament games, while averaging 11 minutes. He must do more against the Tar Heels.
Advantage: North Carolina
UNC offense vs. Oregon defense: Oregon is allowing seven more points per game in its last five games compared to its season average, and will play against a lineup that could expose its lack of big-man depth. UNC posts Kennedy Meeks, Tony Bradley and Luke Maye will be a load to guard. The Tar Heels are one of the few programs that still run their offense from the inside-out, where passes into the low block have not become an endangered species. Nearly 56 percent of the Tar Heels' points come from inside the three-point line, the 35th-highest percentage in the country. On the perimeter, ACC player of the year Justin Jackson averaged 18 points per game this season at the small forward position. Though he has insisted he will be ready to play Saturday, UNC guard Joel Berry injured both ankles within the past two weeks and his effectiveness could be called into question. To combat the sixth most-effective offense in the country this season, Oregon will again mix-and-match its defenses, moving from zone to man sometimes from possession to possession. While UNC will try to take advantage in the post, expect Williams to go after freshman point guard Payton Pritchard, as well. The Ducks are playing with extreme confidence right now, however, after limiting Kansas -- which had scored 90-plus points in three games to open the tournament -- to 60 in the Midwest Regional final.
Advantage: Oregon
Oregon offense vs. UNC defense: The Ducks have the 16th most efficient offense in the country. The Tar Heels are 17th in defense. The Ducks like to score from around the perimeter. The Tar Heels have great length to defend around the perimeter. The Ducks have Tyler Dorsey. UNC does not. The Oregon sophomore has scored 20 points or more in seven consecutive games, more than making up for the production lost with Chris Boucher's injury. Coupled with the dynamic Dillon Brooks, the Ducks have one of the best one-two combos remaining in the tournament. If those two can find their rhythm with guards like Payton Pritchard, Dylan Ennis and Casey Benson knocking down some shots, the Ducks will be very tough, even for UNC, to defend. A potential X-factor? Jordan Bell has scored 16 or more points in three of Oregon's last five games.
Advantage: Oregon
Intangibles: Compared to the rest of college basketball, the Ducks are no spring chickens. Dillon Brooks and Jordan Bell are both three-year starters, Dylan Ennis is in his sixth year of college basketball and all but three players on this roster were members of Oregon's Elite Eight team a year ago. The Ducks are experienced. But they have nothing on North Carolina. Not only have the Tar Heels been to 18 more Final Fours than Oregon, three of their starters on this year's team started on the team that fell just a basket short of winning the national title a year ago. Oregon has gritted out tough wins all season and banded together after losing Chris Boucher in the Pac-12 tournament to an ACL tear. The Ducks have yet to find a stage too grand. But the Tar Heels are the only ones who have played in this type of environment before and faced their own challenge in getting back here after coming so close a year ago.
Advantage: North Carolina
