Here we go! It’s time for the climax of the 2017 March Madness tournament, as North Carolina will play Gonzaga for the NCAA Men’s Basketball championship on April 3. These teams better go bit or go home, so tune in at 9:20 PM ET to see every thrilling second!
They’ve outlasted 66 other teams to make it here: the University of North Carolina Tar Heels and the Gonzaga Bulldogs. These two squads, who have fought tooth and nail through the March Madness tournament, will now battle it out for the NCAA title. After a tournament full of crazy upsets and dramatic, did-you-see-that moments, this is going to be good. Don’t miss a single moment!
UNC got to the final after demolishing Texas Southern University in the opening round, before going on to beat Arkansas and Butler in the second round and the Sweet 18. The Tar Heels barely got by Kentucky in the Elite 8, scoring a final shot that led them to a 75-73 victory. A similar close call happened in the final four, as the Tar Heels somehow pulled out a win over Oregon. Despite missing four free throws in the final seconds of the game, UNC held on to win, 77-76.
Meanwhile, Gonzaga seemed to cruise their way to the Finals. They put away South Dakota State, breezed by Northwestern, squeaked by West Virginia before trouncing Xavier. They managed to send the South Carolina Gamecocks packing in the Final Four, earning Gonzaga their first ever trip to the NCAA Men’s Basketball final.
“To be playing in the last game of the year is just crazy cool,” said Mark Few, coach of the Bulldogs, while appreciating this moment in the sun. Though they’re considered the underdogs going into this game, point guard Nigel Williams-Gross argued that no one should count them out just yet.
“No one’s here by accident,” he said, per ESPN. “[We] have 37 wins in a college season, I mean that’s just unbelievable. And to be playing the last game of the season, we have a chance to play for it all. And we’re here to win it.” Nigel is shooting 50.8 percent from the field and his 16.9 points per the game will definitely give the Tar Heels a run for their money.