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North Carolina’s Kennedy Meeks and Justin Jackson discuss what it will take to defeat Gonzaga in the national championship. (David Wallace/azcentral sports)
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Gonzaga guard Nigel Williams-Goss talks about their David vs. Goliath status against North Carolina in the upcoming national championship game. (David Wallace/azcentral sports)
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Oregon coach Dana Altman and players on Final Four loss to North Carolina.
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North Carolina coach Roy Williams and players react to Final Four win over Oregon.
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South Carolina coach Frank Martin and players react to Final Four loss to Gonzaga.
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Gonzaga coach Mark Few and players on win over South Carolina in Final Four.
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USA TODAY Sports’ Dan Wolken previews the NCAA championship game, which will be a frontcourt-heavy battle between UNC and Gonzaga.
USA TODAY Sports
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USA TODAY Sports’ Dan Wolken recaps the two Final Four semifinal games, won in nail-biters by Gonzaga and North Carolina.
USA TODAY Sports
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FINAL FOUR: Fans react as Gonzaga survives late S. Carolina rally, advances to championship 77-73. (Alden Woods/azcentral)
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Grand Canyon University’s student section, The Havocs, were gifted tickets by their school administration to attend the Final Four.
USA TODAY Sports
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Fans arrive early for the festivities before the Final Four games Saturday at University of Phoenix Stadium. (Patrick Breen/azcentral)
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Will Phoenix become a basketball city? Dan Bickley discusses the Final Four in Arizona, NBA stars resting and more in the latest Shot Clock.
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Would you spend $7,500 for three games of the best college basketball? How about $275? Reporter Perry Vandell breaks down the action on the tickets before the big games. Patrick Breen/azcentral.com
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Oregon’s Tyler Dorsey and Dillon Brooks discuss what it would mean to win a national championship, at University of Phoenix Stadium on Friday, March 31. David Wallace/azcentral sports
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University of North Carolina talks nerves and expectations before Saturday’s game.
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South Carolina’s Sindarius Thornwell talks about missing Thursday’s practice because of illness and feeling better for Friday’s practice at University of Phoenix Stadium. David Wallace/azcentral sports
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Perkins and Karnowski talk injury, nerves and expectations before practice on Friday.
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A look at the paths taken by the remaining teams in this year’s mens NCAA basketball tournament.
By Jim Sergent and Ramon Padilla, USA TODAY.
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USA TODAY Sports’ Nicole Auerbach thinks you’ll be doing yourself a disservice if you don’t keep an eye on these players in the Final Four.
USA TODAY Sports
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South Carolina players answer the question that’s on the minds of so many college basketball fans: what the heck is a Gamecock?
USA TODAY Sports
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North Carolina’s Justin Jackson and Joel Berry II discuss being back to the NCAA Final Four and trying to win it all, in the locker room at University of Phoenix Stadium on March 30, 2017. (David Wallace/azcentral sports)
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Oregon’s Dillon Brooks, Dylan Ennis and Casey Benson, discuss counting their blessings, meeting Kobe Bryant and playing a Final Four in their home state, respectively, in the locker room on March 30, 2017. (David Wallace/azcentral sports)
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Gonzaga’s Przemek Karnowski, Jordan Mathews and Nigel Williams-Goss talk about rising to the moment of the NCAA Final Four in the locker room at University of Phoenix Stadium on March 30, 2017. (David Wallace/azcentral sports)
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South Carolina’s PJ Dozier and Duane Notice talk about their confidence and under dog status for the NCAA Final Four in the locker room at University of Phoenix Stadium on March 30, 2017. (David Wallace/azcentral sports)
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Downtown Phoenix gets ready to host the NCAA Final Four Fan Fest and house the teams as they play in nearby Glendale for the NCAA Final Four games. David Wallace/azcentral.com
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Luke Maye connected on a last-second jump shot to defeat the Kentucky Wildcats and send North Carolina to the Final Four.
Time_Sports
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USA TODAY Sports’ Nicole Auerbach goes behind the scenes of South Carolina’s win over Florida, which sends the Gamecocks to their first Final Four.
USA TODAY Sports
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The Oregon Ducks have reached the Final Four for the first time since 1939 after a 74-60 win over the Kansas Jayhawks in the Elite Eight.
Time_Sports
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USA TODAY Sports’ Dan Wolken breaks down Gonzaga’s Elite Eight victory over Xavier.
USA TODAY Sports
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The court for the NCAA Final Four tournament is put together at the University of Phoenix stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Thomas Hawthorne/azcentral
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azcentral’s Paola Boivin breaks down Arizona’s loss to Xavier in the Sweet 16. Video: Michael Chow/azcentral.com
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The Arizona Wildcats, who many had in the Final Four, are bounced from the NCAA Tournament. Plus, the Oakland Raiders may soon be the Las Vegas Raiders. Will that actually happen? Video: azcentral sports
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USA TODAY Sports’ George Schroeder looks at how the Jayhawks and Ducks prevailed to set up their upcoming matchup in the Midwest region of the NCAA tournament.
USA TODAY Sports
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ULCA head coach Steve Alford acknowledges the game against the two ‘bluebloods’ of NCAA basketball with the most championships between them.
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Considered all but done after losing their star point guard and dropping six straight games in February, Xavier has improbably made a run to the Elite Eight after defeating No. 2 Arizona in the Sweet Sixteen.
Time_Sports
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Arizona Wildcats head coach Sean Miller is the third highest-paid head coach in the NCAA Tournament and can earn close to $1 million in bonuses for winning the national title.
Wochit
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Take a look at some at the faces of celebration and dejection from the tourney.
USA TODAY Sports
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The massive scoreboard known as “Colussus TV” is installed at University of Phoenix Stadium for the upcoming NCAA Final Four games. David Wallace/azentral.com
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Being on network TV means this years NCAA tourney should easily overtake last year’s viewership. Richard Deitsch explains how to watch the Madness.
Time
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North Carolina on what it will take to defeat Gonzaga
Gonzaga’s Nigel Williams-Goss on their status against North Carolina
Oregon reacts to heartbreaking loss in Final Four
North Carolina on advancing to 2nd title game in a row
South Carolina on tough loss to Gonzaga
Gonzaga reacts to Final Four win over South Carolina
North Carolina-Gonzaga will be throwback national title game
Semifinal games come down to final plays
Gonzaga fans in Glendale react to win over S. Carolina in NCAA semifinal
The rowdiest student section at the Final Four isn’t even in the game
Fans pack University of Phoenix Stadium lawn for Final Four
Shot Clock: Phoenix a basketball city?
Which seats in the Final Four house are still available?
Oregon on what it would mean to win a national championship
UNC players talk about returning to Final Four
South Carolina’s Sindarius Thornwell on his illness and feeling better
Gonzaga’s Josh Perkins and Przemek Karnowski talk Final Four
Road to the Final Four means a lot of miles traveling
Top players to watch in the Final Four
Gamecocks explain what a gamecock is
North Carolina on being back to the NCAA Final Four
Oregon on counting their blessings
Gonzaga on rising to the moment
South Carolina on their confidence and underdog status
Downtown Phoenix gets ready for NCAA Final Four
North Carolina headed to Final Four with win over Kentucky
South Carolina makes history with Final Four berth
Oregon advances to first Final Four since 1939 with win over Kansas
Gonzaga advances to program’s first Final Four
Piece by piece, the court for the NCAA Final Four tournament is put together in Glendale
Paola Boivin recaps Arizona’s loss to Xavier
Shot Clock: Arizona knocked out; Raiders moving to Vegas?
Kansas and Oregon set up intriguing Elite 8 matchup
UCLA’s Steve Alford talks about playing Kentucky
No. 11 Xavier upsets No. 2 Arizona to head to Elite Eight
A closer look at Sean Miller’s salary and bonuses
March Madness: Craziest faces of the NCAA tournament
Scoreboard installed at University of Phoenix Stadium for Final Four
Media circus: A guide to March Madness
Kennedy Meeks is about to inherit the earth, or at least the college basketball portion.
If the 6-foot-10 senior forward completes his North Carolina career with anything close to the impact he’s had in the past two games and throughout the NCAA Tournament, he will become an immortal in school annals and perhaps beyond.
Ask Sean May, now North Carolina director of player personnel, how being Most Outstanding Player in the 2005 Final Four impacted his life.
“I just remember running over and hugging Coach and the confetti and being on the floor with my guys,” he said. “Those are the moments you remember more than anything. It’s not about the game, it’s about the people.”
CHAMPIONSHIP: Who has the edge?
The 6-9 May had 26 points and 10 rebounds, including the last, in North Carolina’s 2005 championship game win over Illinois. The same kind of numbers (25 points, 14 boards) that Meeks put up Saturday in a 77-76 Final Four win over Oregon when he also snared the final board after a fourth straight Tar Heel free-throw miss (two of them his).
Before that, in the Elite Eight, Meeks had a career-high 17 rebounds and four blocks in a 75-73 win over Kentucky. Overall in five NCAA games, he is averaging 13.2 points and 11.8 rebounds while shooting 64.9 percent. This from someone who did not make ACC first, second or third team (he was honorable mention) and until two months ago was still figuring out how to process criticism from coach Roy Williams.
“It took 3 1/2 years, but I realized he really doesn’t mean bad,” Meeks said. “You can definitely see the transition from me trying to buy in more to helping the team in any way I can instead of just trying to score. It’s a little bit of being selfless. I’m sure he appreciates that because I definitely think I’ve grown as a player. I don’t know if I just woke up one morning and it kind of clicked.”
More likely as Meeks drew closer to the finish line still short of a national title – North Carolina lost on a buzzer beater to Villanova in the 2016 championship game – he became more amenable to the Williams’ way. When he was a freshman in 2013-14, it left him questioning his decision to stay in his home state for college.
But Meeks weighed 317 pounds when he came to North Carolina and now is a much fitter 260, a transformation he largely accomplished before his sophomore season and has built upon since.
“It’s been love and hate,” Williams said of his relationship with Meeks. “I’ve been on him really hard,” even taking him out Saturday against Oregon for several minutes “because I didn’t like one thing he was doing. He keeps coming back, and I keep pushing him. Hopefully at the end, we’ll both look back on it and think it’s been a great partnership.”
SCOUTING REPORT: Gonzaga vs. North Carolina
That almost certainly will be the final judgment if North Carolina beats Gonzaga in a duel of No. 1 seeds and low post players reminiscent of basketball from a different era.
Meeks vs. the Zags’ 7-1 Przemek Karnowski is the game’s featured matchup. Both have help in 6-9 Isaiah Hicks and 6-11 Tony Bradley (North Carolina) and 7-0 Zach Collins and 6-9 Jonathan Williams (Gonzaga).
It’s not Lew Alcindor vs. Elvin Hayes or Bill Russell vs. Wilt Chamberlain, but it will pass for that in a day when posts often are face-up players shooting 3-pointers.
“You saw how good of a game he had (against Oregon),” Karnowski said of Meeks. “He’s a great player, kind of like me going back to the basket. I like to play against other big guys. We have a lot of guys that we have to chase around to make sure they don’t any open threes. It’s going to be good to have that old-school matchup playing against each other in the low block.”
FINAL FOUR ARIZONA: Get the latest college basketball news
Meeks also welcomes the challenge, comparing it to what the Tar Heels faced last year against Villanova and even Saturday when he went against Oregon’s 6-9 Jordan Bell. Karnowski and Collins are a different story, though, because they are bigger and a duo that can play together.
“When we got here, he realized one way or another he’s got one or two games (left),” May said. “He’s living in the moment and playing like a kid that doesn’t want to go home. There’s some desperation there, so he’s playing well. It’s a joy to see somebody have the best nights of their career on the biggest stage. If he plays like that, we’ll be in good shape.”
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