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South Carolina a Cinderella and a Breakdown of Each Final Four Team

By Matthew Bartlett

Mar 31, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Frank Martin on the phone at center court during practice for the 2017 Final Four at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 31, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Frank Martin on the phone at center court during practice for the 2017 Final Four at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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The NCAA Tournament field has been cut down to the Final Four. Oregon, Gonzaga, South Carolina, or North Carolina will end March Madness as the champion.

The Final Four is here. After a relatively tame First Round and Round of 32 the NCAA Tournament the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 were nothing short of thrilling. Xavier’s Cinderella run fell short at the hands of Gonzaga. Wisconsin, who had just upset Villanova, couldn’t hold on that one extra second to beat Florida. Chris Chiozza‘s buzzer-beating shot in overtime has to go down as the shot of the tournament – at least so far. And after all that, you have two teams making their first Final Four appearance in school history: Gonzaga and South Carolina.

Following all the madness, four teams remain. It’s not a surprise to see Gonzaga there. 8.5 percent of ESPN brackets had the Zags winning it all. They were the fifth most picked team to cut down the nets. Of the top ten schools that were most often selected, only three remain: North Carolina (15.2 percent), Gonzaga (8.5 percent) and Oregon (1.6 percent).

For those same reasons it’s not shocking that North Carolina had advanced this far in the tournament. There was a strong showing from some of the blue blood programs this year, but of the Final Four squads North Carolina is the only real basketball powerhouse remaining. Contrast that with South Carolina, which was picked to reach the Final Four in 0.6 percent of ESPN brackets.

We’ve got you covered with schedule information, tv times, and an update on the Gig’em Gazette Bracket Challenge Contest. If this past weekend was any indication, there are still three exciting basketball games remaining. To set up the 2017 Final Four we take a look at the four teams remaining starting with the Oregon Ducks.