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Sport
Hunter Felt

NCAA March Madness: Final Four – as it happened!

North Carolina’s Brice Johnson dunks on Syracuse’s DaJuan Coleman.
North Carolina’s Brice Johnson dunks on Syracuse’s DaJuan Coleman. Photograph: Pool Photo/USA Today Sports

Final thoughts

Well, okay, not the most exciting Final Fours you will ever see. Neither game was really in doubt by the time the second half started, although Villanova/Oklahoma was entertaining in a gruesome, amoral slasher film sort of way. The good news is that Villanova/North Carolina should be a ridiculously competitive game. We’ll have additional coverage here at the Guardian over the next few days, although that will do it for tonight’s liveblogging. Thank you everybody who followed along with our Final Four coverage, especially those of you who contributed. Ciao!

North Carolina wins!

Syracuse 66-83 North Carolina, FINAL

Syracuse’s Franklin Howard tips in his own missed three pointer to add to their final totals but that will do it. North Carolina will be facing Villanova in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship Game.

Syracuse 64-83 North Carolina, :57, 2nd half

Jackson makes a layup and now we’re just talking about final point differentials. Especially since Gbinije has fouled out.

And Jackson pads his stats with an additional basket.

Syracuse 64-79 North Carolina, 2:14, 2nd half

Meeks inherits the Earth, or at least the basket, pushing into the Syracuse defense to increase the Tar Heels lead.to 15. The North Carolina fans in the stands are staring to cheer, they know they have this.

Syracuse 64-77 North Carolina, 2:27, 2nd half

Cooney is still doing things though, keeping the Orange on life support. He makes a layup.

And Paige makes a three pointer right back and I’m going to call this game. North Carolina has an answer for whatever Syracuse throws back at them.

Syracuse 62-74 North Carolina, 3:38, 2nd half

Johnson gets to the line and makes both free throws. It feels like North Carolina should have suppressed the Syracuse rebellion by now, but Trevor Cooney makes a three pointer.

And just when it looks like Syracuse could make up ground, Justin Jackson makes a dunk. There’s so much going on here but not a lot that’s actually happening. And the clock keeps ticking.

Syracuse 59-70 North Carolina, 4:23, 2nd half

Marcus Paige answers that question, maybe,with a three pinter although Cooney, trying his hardest to make this game, gets to the basket for a layup.

Syracuse 57-67 North Carolina, 5:39, 2nd half

Gbinjije makes a jumper, Richardson makes a layup but then immediately picks up his fourth foul. Ten point deficit. Can Syracuse cut it down any further?

Syracuse 53-67 North Carolina, 6:22, 2nd half

After several attempts, Kennedy Meeks is able to put in a missed layup. The clock is now very much not on Syracuse’s side, but they’re feisty as heck here and they’re not going to give up.

Syracuse 53-65 North Carolina, 7:25, 2nd half

Brice Johnson with a dunk to push the lead back to 12, until Cooney makes a three. But Syracuse can’t make any stops. Theo Pinson immediately hits a three.

Syracuse 50-60 North Carolina, 9:28, 2nd half

But Richardson makes up for it with a three!

But Paige sucks out any momentum there by cooly responding with a three of his own to put the North Carolina back up to 10.

Syracuse 47-57 North Carolina, 10:10, 2nd half

Johnson gets the rebound, gets it to PInson whose blocked by Tyler Lydon. Tyler Roberson takes a shot, he misses, but Malachi Richardson makes a layup and gets fouled! North Carolina takes a timeout.

…And Richardson misses the free throw, this seems to be the biggest problem with Syracuse’s comeback attempts.

Syracuse 45-57 North Carolina, 10:43, 2nd half

Trevor Cooney with a STEAL on Theo Pinson and a DUNK! And then another steal for Cooney… which leads to nothing this time, thanks to a Brice Johnson block, but still what hustle from Cooney.

Syracuse 43-57 North Carolina, 11:42, 2nd half

This is the point where commentators bring up that Syracuse was down 16 points to Virginia and still rallied to beat them. This is mainly a ploy to convince others, or ourselves, to keep watching a game. The 1% chance that things will suddenly get interesting. That’s the appeal of the tournament, of course. Here those things happen.

DaJuan Coleman gets on the foul line and makes only one of two free throws. Joel Berry The Second makes a layup for North Carolina. Then Syracuse’s Tyler Cooney makes a three pointer and the score starts looking a tad more respectable.

Updated

Syracuse 39-55 North Carolina, 13:37, 2nd half

Both teams are now trading shots, which is something I feel like the Tar Heels are more than happy to play that way. An emphatic Kennedy Meeks dunk puts North Carolina up 16.

Syracuse 33-49 North Carolina, 16:20, 2nd half

Tyler Lydon misses a three on the Syracuse end. Brice Johnson makes a floater on the North Carolina end.

If it weren’t for what happened in the basketball undercard, this would look a lot worst for Syracuse, I think. It’s all context.

Syracuse 33-47 North Carolina, 16:54, 2nd half

Gbinije makes a jumper to cut the North Carolina lead to 10.

But Justin Jackson knocks down a jumper, Kennedy Meeks snatches the ball away from Gbinije for a layup and Jim Boeheim has to call a timeout as North Carolina has its largest lead of the game.

Syracuse 31-43 North Carolina, 18:38, 2nd half

Richardson picks up his third foul, which is not good for Syracuse, putting Justin Jackson on the line, which is also not good because he (unlike most players in this game) makes both. He also make a layup for four straight North Carolina points.

Syracuse 31-39 North Carolina, 19:23, 2nd half

Paige misses a three pointer on the North Carolina side. Trevor Cooney makes a three pointer for the first points of this second half.

2nd half begins

Syracuse 28-39 North Carolina, 19:36, 2nd half

Oh thank god we’re back. Syracuse wins the jump ball. Malachi Richardson has the ball start the second half. Gbinije misses a three-pointer.

This halftime has lasted so long that they’re holding an on court ceremony to commemorate the 20 year anniversary of when this halftime began.

Okay, Joe Biden’s presence here gives me an excuse to embed maybe the greatest moment in Twitter history:

So, does anybody think Syracuse have a shot, or we all just already starting to play for a Villanova/North Carolina championship game? Tweet @HunterFelt or email Hunter.Felt@theguardian.com all of your college basketball thoughts.

Halftime thoughts

Well, the good news is that Syracuse is very much in a better shape than Oklahoma. The bad news is that they’re just not the better team in this matchup. Keep in mind, North Carolina build up much of its lead with Brice Johnson on the bench. It’s going to take yet another ridiculous comeback for the Orange to have a chance here, it feels, and how many times can one team do that in a tournament?

Updated

End of the first half

Syracuse 28-39 North Carolina, end of the 1st half

Some bad news here, as Hicks picks up his third foul. It puts Gbinije on the line where he makes one of two free throws because nobody is allowed to hit over 1.5 free throws in this game. Paige misses a jumper. A 3/4ths court shot goes for naught and that’s how the first half will end.

Updated

Syracuse 27-39 North Carolina, 1st half, :43

Hicks with a jam and it’s now a 12 point lead and Syracuse might be having flashbacks to how Villanova/Oklahoma got out of hand.

Syracuse 27-37 North Carolina, 1st half, 1:24

Gbinije, who was fouled by Berry on the layup, completes the three point play. It’s a momentary light in the dark for the Orange, but Hicks makes a jumper, as does Theo Pinson, and North Carolina has a ten point lead.

Syracuse 26-33 North Carolina, 1st half, 2:13

Joel James jumper just goes in, but Gbinije answers for Syracuse. Isaiah Hicks tips one in, Berry adds a basket of his own. It looks like North Carolina is back in control of the game, but a Gbinije layup halts the bleeding.

Syracuse 22-27 North Carolina, 1st half, 5:04

Good timeout, it seems. Syracuse immediately put an end to the 9-0 North Carolina run. Coleman makes two straight layups to cut their lead down to 5 points.

Syracuse 18-27 North Carolina, 1st half, 5:49

Joel James comes off the bench for North Carolina and immediately makes a jumper. Then Marcus Paige manages to make a really tricky shot that’s enough to get Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim to take a timeout. 9-0 Tar Heels run.

Syracuse 18-23 North Carolina, 1st half, 6:42

A foul on Tyler Lydon puts Justin Jackson on the line where he makes both free throws. Syracuse might soon be forced to play a little less physical.

Syracuse 18-21 North Carolina, 1st half, 7:47

Meeks makes the free throw.

Joe Biden is in the house, which is creating moments like this:

Syracuse 18-20 North Carolina, 1st half, 7:47

Joel Berry II lofts a floater for another lead for the Tar Heels. On the other side, Cooney’s layup is blocked, but Tyler Robeson is about to put it back in to tie up the game yet again.

And that doesn’t last either, of course. Meeks with a layup and he’ll be getting an “and one” too, as soon as the next batch of commercials ends.

Syracuse 16-16 North Carolina, 1st half, 9:05

Lydon for three, there’s another lead change. And then another, as Johnson tips in a Nate Britt missed three. That’s good, what’s not so good is that shortly thereafter Johnson picks up another foul.

Syracuse 13-14 North Carolina, 1st half, 11:36

Brice Johnson makes both free throws this time to finally end the scoring drought.

Syracuse 13-12 North Carolina, 1st half, 11:36

Does anybody want to score here? Anybody? We have a parade of bricks, North Carolina has gone 0-8 from the three point line. Johnson draws a foul which will bring him to the line and take us to a TV timeout.

Syracuse 13-12 North Carolina, 1st half, 12:33

With the defenses tightening a bit, Johnson makes a smart play to run to the basket and heave up a shot, drawing contact. Unfortunately, he misses both free throws.

Syracuse 13-12 North Carolina, 1st half, 13:37

Richardson with a three for a Syracuse lead, but Meeks makes a jumper to cut that down to one. This feels a little like how our earlier game begun.

Syracuse 10-10 North Carolina, 1st half, 15:24

Another trading of baskets emerges righ after the break as Justin Jackson and Trevor Cooney both hit 2s.

Syracuse 8-8 North Carolina, 1st half, 15:57

Meeks grabs an air ball and puts it in for a Tar Heels lead.... except Tyler Lydon, no relation to John, knocks down a three.

And Johnson ties the game up. He’s already had a bigger impact than Hield did today, it feels like.

Syracuse 5-4 North Carolina, 1st half, 16:53

Malachi Richardson gets to the line, makes one of two free throws. Syracuse is on top.

Syracuse 4-4 North Carolina, 1st half, 17:22

Johnson picks up an early foul, could be a factor later on. Kennedy Meeks tips in a Johnson miss, North Carolina takes the lead, but only for a few seconds, as Michael Gbinije ties it up.

Syracuse 2-2 North Carolina, 1st half, 18:44

Brice Johnson scores first, which sounds about right. Trevor Cooney responds with a jumper of his own to tie things up.

Opening tip: Syracuse vs North Carolina

Syracuse 0-0 North Carolina, 1st half, 20:00

Tip is controlled by North Carolina. Marcus Paige gets a good look but the ball doesn’t go in.

Okay it looks like they’re starting this one a few minutes earlier than scheduled. I absolutely appreciate it.

Oh god Syracuse’s orange uniforms are unsightly.

Syracuse starters

Michael Gbinije, forward
Trevor Cooney, guard
Tyler Roberson, forward
Malachi Richardson, guard
DaJuan Coleman, center

North Carolina starters

Joel Berry II, guard
Marcus Paige, guard
Justin Jackson, forward
Brice Johnson, forward
Kennedy Meeks, forward

Johnson is the biggest name in this game, another surefire NBA lottery pick.

Updated

Wrong. From the above evidence, their biggest strength is their horrifying, horrifying man-fruit mascot.

Please please please let this be the case. We all need some drama after what we just witnessed.

TV basketball analysis summed up in a single tweet:

Predictions

As previously stated, I came into today’s games thinking that North Carolina would easily roll through Syracuse, who have been clearly punching above their weight-class all tournament. I still think they lose by double-digits, but obviously it’s still going to be the close match of the two.

Your thoughts? Tweet them to @HunterFelt or email them to Hunter.Felt@theguardian.com.

Nothing says NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball quite like a marquee game between a team whose head coach was suspended for nine games during the regular season (Syracuse) vs a team currently under investigation (North Carolina).

Alright, there’s not a lot to analyze here. It was an all-around butt kicking. It’s time to look ahead for Syracuse/North Carolina.

Oh god, I just realized that today’s loss is going to launch a thousand “this is why NBA teams should be wary of drafting Buddy Hield” takes. This is going to be painful. “He just doesn’t want it enough. You saw his lack of leadership. He’s too passive.”

Oy.

And what was the worst Final Four loss before today’s game did a spot-on impression of the elevator full of blood in “The Shining?” ESPN Stats & Info, as they usually do, have the answer:

This will be the first time Villanova has made it to the championship game since winning the title in 1985.

Rob Richardson:

“We have to wait how long until the next game?

Thank you for the shout out. It will be interesting to watch how Syracuse’s rotating zone does against North Carolina’s ability to shoot.

This is like watching the Globetrotters playing an elementary school team.”

That about sums it up, which is awkward for me because I assumed that Syracuse/North Carolina would be the blowout. Now I hope it’s not the case.

Oh and we have 40 minutes until that game starts.

Villanova wins!

Villanova 95-51 Oklahoma, FINAL

Villanova will move on to the championship game after handing Oklahoma the most lopsided loss in Final Four history!

Villanova 95-51 Oklahoma, 1:17, 2nd half

Henry Lowe, who hasn’t scored a point all season, gets on the line with a chance to score his very first in a Final Four game.

But he misses both. (This is probably why he didn’t get much playing time.)

Oh hey and Booth hits another three.

Villanova 92-51 Oklahoma, 2:03, 2nd half

Benches are now emptied, and if the coaches no longer have to worry about what’s going on on the court, then neither should this blogger.

Villanova 90-49 Oklahoma, 2:39, 2nd half

This isn’t college basketball, this is genocide.

We’re looking at potentially the most lopsided loss in Final Four history here.

Villanova 84-44 Oklahoma, 5:10, 2nd half

The foul puts Ochefu, who’s apparently okay, on the line to hit free throws. Of course he makes it.

Two Woodard free throws- you can tell by these sequences that this one is just playing itself out- add to Oklahoma’s meager total. And then Jenkins makes a three. Good night Sooners.

Villanova 79-42 Oklahoma, 6:05, 2nd half

Finally, Oklahoma scores. Dinjiyl Walker goes to the line to make one of two free throws. 25-1 run.

And Lattin fouls out, but at least that means that he doesn’t have to play out the rest of this basketball Red Wedding.


Villanova 79-41 Oklahoma, 6:53, 2nd half

Hart goes to the line makes one of two free throws. Arcidiacono gets fouled goes to the line, makes two of his...

Villanova are on a 25-0 run. That is not a typo.

Villanova 76-41 Oklahoma, 7:37, 2nd half

I originally gave Villanova 3 extra points on the last update, but apparently I was just seeing the future. Bridges makes it 75-41 with a dunk and a free throw.

And then 76-41 with another.

Updated

Villanova 72-41 Oklahoma, 8:28, 2nd half

Potentially awful break for Villanova in the midst of this crazy stretch of scoring as Ochefu gets hurt, appears to be his ankle, and has to leave the game.

It doesn’t seem to phase their offense, as Arcidiacono immediately drains a three. Oklahoma calls a timeout.


Updated

Villanova 69-41 Oklahoma, 9:23, 2nd half

Cousins gets called for a foul, Brunson misses the free throw which is the good news for Oklahoma. The bad?

Jenkins immediately hits a three and Brunson makes a layup.

Villanova 64-41 Oklahoma, 10:12, 2nd half

Buddy Hield has 9 points. So, that’s just 21 more in about 10 minutes time to get to the 30 mark. (This has been the “Hunter is pleased with himself for doing basic math in his head” portion of the liveblog.) He could pull it off, of course, but Villanova probably still would be winning this one.

Villanova 64-41 Oklahoma, 10:43, 2nd half

Kris Jenkins gets fouled and put on the line, where he adds two points to the Nova total.

Villanova 62-41 Oklahoma, 11:19, 2nd half

Out of the timeout, Jenkins throws a deep, deep, DEEP pass to Mikal Bridges for a dunk. Plus he gets fouled. Of course, he makes the free throw.

And then Booth swipes the ball away from Christian James. On the other end, he hits a monster three-pointer and this one might be close to done. 21 point lead, yikes!

Email from Rob Richardson on “Villanova’s hot shooting:

Good evening,

NY Times did a nice article this morning on the shooting in a dome stadium with the ridiculous backdrop of a hundred yards. Teams this year shot something like 32 percent in this very same setup though the court was not centered on the football field floor like it is tonight. Villanova looks much more comfortable shooting like this than Oklahoma. Moreover, the Cats seem to be working the ball into the paint to get better shots. I yell “Clang” at my T.V. everytime someone on Oklahoma shoots at this point.”

Oklahoma’s process seems to be okay here in the second half in everything but the “successfully making shots” part of the game. Unfortunately, that’s the only one that truly matters in the end.

Villanova 56-41 Oklahoma, 11:55, 2nd half

They especially can’t trade baskets with the way Josh Hart is scoring because they could die of pure exhaustion. His jumper makes it a 15 point Villanova lead.

Villanova 54-41 Oklahoma, 12:56, 2nd half

Villanova’s Phil Booth makes a jumper, one answered promptly by a Spangler layup but it’s too late in the day to just trade baskets here if you’re Oklahoma.

Villanova 52-39 Oklahoma, 13:56, 2nd half

A goaltending call gives Villanova two more points.

Villanova 50-39 Oklahoma, 14:25, 2nd half

Mikal Bridges gets to the line and makes one of two free throws. Oklahoma gets the ball after Jenkins can’t hold on to the rebound. On the other end, Cousins makes a jumper.

Villanova 49-37 Oklahoma, 15:52, 2nd half

And, after a TV timeout, Hart makes his free throw.

Email from Deepak, who sounds like he has as many windows open as I do during this game:


“Enjoying the text commentary (I have ESPN College Pass, Guardian live text and NCAA Radio on, a little worryingly).

Thought Hield looked completely shell shocked for much of the 1st half, until he made the reverse layup. Villanova’s defense played beautifully, especially switching men to cover Hield. Can’t see Oklahoma coming back from this but they need to get onto the defensive rebounds asap and start running isolation plays so Hield can drive to the basket instead of taking jump shots. His shooting touch is way off. Great 1st half from Villanova though!”



Villanova 48-37 Oklahoma, 15:52 2nd half

Villanova has to hope for some quick points here to get back into shape. And they do! Josh Hart misses, gets his own rebound, tips it in and gets fouled in the process.

Villanova 46-37 Oklahoma, 16:17 2nd half

Oh here’s something you don’t see often. Woodard gets fouled attempting a three and goes to the line. He makes the first two free throws, misses the third, REBOUNDS HIS OWN MISS and lays it in for an improbably four point play. It’s back in single digits and Villanova takes a timeout.

Villanova 46-33 Oklahoma, 16:32 2nd half

But Ochefu hits a jumper in response.

Villanova 44-33 Oklahoma, 17:06, 2nd half

Hield does set up a three for Jordan Woodard, however.

Villanova 44-30 Oklahoma, 17:51, 2nd half

Hield misses another three-pointer, he’s 1-for-7 from downtown.

Villanova 44-30 Oklahoma, 18:25, 2nd half

Jalen Brunson with a layup and Villanova pushes the lead back up to 14 points.

2nd half begins!

Villanova 42-30 Oklahoma, 19:34, 2nd half

Cousins has the ball to start the second, gets it to Hield who once again starts the scoring.

Is that any good, does anybody know?

I will add that I’ve gotten through an entire half of this game without accidentally calling Ryan Spangler “Egon Spengler” or making a Hi-NRG Stadium pun.

Okay, except I think I just did.

Hield has shown flashes this half however:

Good news for viewers, except for those who are rooting for Oklahoma and may not actually want to see what’s going on any clearer.

I’ll take this time as a chance to remind you that I’ll use any tweets and emails that you might have throughout this liveblog. You can email them to Hunter.Felt@theguardian or tweet them to @HunterFelt.

Halftime

Well, this game was a shooutout for the first ten minutes or so. The worry for Oklahoma heading into this game was that if Hield didn’t have his A game they could be vulnerable. This might be what we’re witnessing now.

On the other hand, if he does get hot in the second half, even a double-digit lead could quickly evaporate.

Villanova 42-28 Oklahoma, end of the 1st half

Villanova loses the ball after coming out of the timeout but Hield gets caught on the bad side of a charge call and the ball goes right back to Villanova.

And Hart hits a three! He’s got 15 points! And Villanova has a huge lead heading into halftime!

Villanova 39-28 Oklahoma, 1:10, 1st half

Reverse layup by Buddy Hield! He’s going to need to do more like that to pull off a comeback here. Villanova realizes the potential momentum moment here and takes a timeout.

Villanova 39-26 Oklahoma, 1:38, 1st half

It’s a good 5-0 run, but it doesn’t last, as Hart makes a jumper to increase the Villanova lead.

Villanova 37-26 Oklahoma, 2:32, 1st half

And it’s Christian James again with a jumper, they’re still treading water.

Villanova 37-24 Oklahoma, 3:36, 1st half

Out of a timeout, Christian James hits a desperately needed three-pointer for Oklahoma.

Villanova 37-21 Oklahoma, 3:51, 1st half

Wow, crazy circus shot by Hart increases the Villanova lead.

And Spangler makes a jumper, and just when it looks like the Sooners are going to cut into the Villanova lead... Ochefu makes a layup, then swipes the ball from Cousins and gets it to Arcidiacono for a three.

Then Hart makes a layup. This is looking like it’s on the verge of getting out of hand early.

Villanova 28-19 Oklahoma, 6:48, 1st half

It’s been a tale of two halfs this... half. (I’m not good with math.) After an opening stretch where neither team could miss, Villanova figured out a way to stop the Sooners.

Except right here, immediately after I type that, a McNeace layup ends the Oklahoma scoring drought.

Villanova 28-17 Oklahoma, 6:57, 1st half

Spangler gets to the line for a chance to stop the Wildcats’ run. Instead, he misses both free throws and Jenkins makes a layup on the other end and it’s now a 12-0 lineup. Oklahoma takes a timeout to discuss strategy, presumably something like “the round orange thing needs to go through that circle.”

Villanova 26-17 Oklahoma, 7:54, 1st half

After a long timeout and approximately a gazillion commercials, we return to the action where Villanova has the ball. And Kris Jenkins hits a three.

That’s a 10-0 run for the Wildcats.

Villanova 23-17 Oklahoma, 8:00, 1st half

Villanova’s defense has adjusted to Oklahoma’s offense, which has committed five turnovers. Not so much the other way around.

Make that six turnovers, after Jenkins picks off Lattin.

Villanova 23-17 Oklahoma, 9:47, 1st half

There’s been a lead change every minute so far this game but now the shots are starting to fall for Villanova. Hart makes a jumper and then a layup and they have a six point lead.

Updated

Villanova 19-17 Oklahoma, 11:11, 1st half

No, nevermind, Arcidiacono hits a three and Villanova retakes the lead.

Nope, some slapstick-y turnovers, Oklahoma’s Jamuni McNeace, new to the game, hits a jumper to regain the lad.

But no, Mikal Bridges hits a three and Villanova is back on top. Lordy.

Villanova 13-15 Oklahoma, 13:37, 1st half

Kris Jenkins responds with a three, so Villanova retakes the le-

Oh never mind, Cousins hits his second straight three-pointer. Back to an Oklahoma lead.

Villanova 10-12 Oklahoma, 14:29, 1st half

Cousins has the ball coming out of the timeout, after a bit of nifty ball movement, Hield sets up Cousins for a three-pointer.

Villanova 10-9 Oklahoma, 14:49, 1st half

Hield makes a layup, Ochefu answers, holy heck is this going super-fast. This is almost NBA pace. Hart picks off Hield, gets the ball to Ryan Arcidiacono for a layup.

Then, on the Oklahoma side, Spangler dunks to cut the Villanova lead to a single point and we head into a timeout.

Villanova 4-5 Oklahoma, 17:04, 1st half

Hield misses his next two shots, but Spangler tosses it to Khadeem Lattin who knocks down a jumper.

Villanova 4-3 Oklahoma, 19:10, 1st half

A Josh Hart layup puts Villanova on the board. Ochefu adds one of his own. The Wildcats take a 4-3 lead.

Updated

Villanova 0-3 Oklahoma, 19:10, 1st half

And Hield starts off the game with a three pointer. Okay, maybe he won’t be cold this game.

Opening tip

The tip goes to Buddy Hield, here we go!

Lights are dimming. They’re about to start the introductions, we’re going to have real basketball here shortly.

If you’re having trouble remembering the schedule of the tournament, don’t feel too bad. Even the Bernie Sanders campaign got it a bit confused:

Predictions (Part I)

So who does everybody have for today’s games? I’m going to go for the upset, although it isn’t really much of an upset when both teams are equally ranked, and say that Villanova is going to just survive their meeting with Oklahoma. I think Hield won’t be able to keep up the torrid pace he’s been at. He’ll be good but he’s not going to be in the 30 point range. Villanova by two.

I’ll give my Syracuse/North Carolina prediction a bit later (that’s called a tease in the broadcasting business), but feel free to tell me yours for either/both of today’s games. You can email Hunter.Felt@theguardian.com or tweet @HunterFelt.

Oklahoma’s starting lineup

Ryan Spangler, forward
Khadeem Lattin, forward
Jordan Woodard, guard
Isaiah Cousins, guard
Buddy Hield, guard

Villanova’s starting lineup

Kris Jenkins, forward
Daniel Ochefu, forward
Jalen Brunson, guard
Josh Hart, guard
Ryan Arcidiacono, guard

In case you missed it, here’s Buddy Hield going all Frank Castle on the Oregon Ducks:

Preamble

When last we were liveblogging the NCAA tournament, we had just barely survived its chaotic first two days. There were 32 teams standing then and now only four remain. (Okay, I’ll admit that this is probably self-evident in the fact that they call the penultimate round the Final Four.)

In a few hours we will know which two teams who will meet in Monday’s championship game. First on the schedule, we have Villanova vs Oklahoma in a battle of No2s. After that, No10 Syracuse will try to extend its Cinderella run by knocking off No1 North Carolina.

We’ll talk about Syracuse/Carolina a bit later, because the Wildcats and the Sooners should be tipping off relatively shortly. Actually, this match could possibly be called Buddy Hield vs the Entire College Basketball World. Hield is currently in the midst of a Kemba Walker-esque tournament run that’s rapidly raising his NBA draft stock. He’s already scored 30 or more points in two of his games during this tournament, including the 37 points he put up against No1 seed Oregon last week in their Elite Eight matchup.

So, Villanova desperately needs a game plan to contain Hield, but they have had a week to prepare, as opposed to the two days that Oregon had. Plus they can’t be too scared, as they’ve already knocked off overall top seed Kansas last week. They’re up for a challenge.

This is an evenly matched game, which is what it should be when two No2s face off against each other. On paper this has all the hallmarks of a fast-paced exciting shootout, and I’m looking forward to it.

I’m also looking forward to hearing from you. Feel free to email or tweet us throughout the college basketball action. You can send emails to Hunter.Felt@theguardian.com or tweet @HunterFelt and we’ll use them as we going along tonight. It’s the Final Four at Houston’s NRG Stadium! Opening tip is scheduled to be around 6:09pm EST, but we’ll be back way before then with predictions, updates and other hopefully relevant materials.

Hunter will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s DJ Gallo on whether anyone involved tonight has NBA potential:

That brings us to the final guy in the Final Four who might have some nice NBA potential ... Villanova head coach Jay Wright. The Wildcats have now appeared in two Final Fours in eight years, no small accomplishment for a small Catholic school. Wright has developed NBA talent from Hofstra to Villanova in Speedy Claxton, Randy Foye and Kyle Lowry. He’s won Coach of the Year. He’s only 54.

And the man would bring finely tailored suits not seen on NBA sidelines since Pat Riley’s heyday. There’s no indication Wright is looking to make the jump, but there’s also no reason some NBA team in the market for a new coach wouldn’t make him a big offer. Maybe after coaching against Hield in the Final Four, Wright can coach him in Phoenix.

Updated

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Florida man picks up cold blooded iguana from under a tree and then makes tacos with its meat
TikTok user @gray.davis has a habit of making a meal out of everything, but no one was prepared for this one. Exactly a week ago, he uploaded a video on his profile in which he picked up an iguana from under a tree and used its meat to make tacos,…
The Mary Sue
The Mary Sue
‘They were disgusted that I was even talking’: Nashville dad takes kids to McDonald’s, ends up realizing they don’t want him there at all
Remember the golden age of McDonald’s? Bright red booths, a dedicated cashier who actually smiled, and a self-serve soda fountain that felt like a sanctuary of free refills. According to one Nashville father, those days are officially buried under a pile of sterile kiosks and gray paint. 
The Mary Sue
The Mary Sue
Miami woman brought a family heirloom to Chicago airport and loses it to the TSA. But why is nobody feeling bad for her?
We’ve all had those mask-off moments at the TSA. The frantic realization that your expensive moisturizer is 4 ounces instead of 3.4, or the internal panic when you forget a stray water bottle in your bag. But one traveler just lived through a tragedy that has the internet screaming at…
The Mary Sue
The Mary Sue
8 Household Items That Are Secretly Making You Tired (The Toxic Home List)
Do you ever wake up feeling like you haven’t slept a wink, despite getting a full eight hours? We often blame our busy schedules, our age, or our stress levels for our chronic fatigue. However, the culprit might hide in plain sight within your four walls. A hidden system of…
Budget and the Bees
Budget and the Bees
"He says, 'Everyone knows what ****er means there. You can't show that in England. They'll edit it out.'" A wrestling legend shares how Ozzy Osbourne was "the voice of reason" when he appeared on WWE RAW
Trust Ozzy Osbourne to give American broadcasters a lesson in British swearing
Metal Hammer
Metal Hammer
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