The Associated Press
The Final Four is set.
And in an unusual bit of geography, it’ll be schools from neighbouring states out west (Oregon, Gonzaga) against schools from neighbouring states in the east (North Carolina, South Carolina).
The national semi-finals in Phoenix will feature No. 1 seeds in the Bulldogs and Tar Heels, a No. 3 seed in the Ducks, and the surprising seven-seed Gamecocks.
The first game Saturday will be South Carolina-Gonzaga, tipping off at 6:09 p.m. (EDT).
Oregon-North Carolina will follow roughly 40 minutes after the completion of that game.
For the Tar Heels, it’s a record 20th trip to the Final Four.
Meanwhile, it’s the first Final Four trip for Gonzaga coach Mark Few, Oregon coach Dana Altman, and South Carolina coach Frank Martin.
North Carolina is back in the Final Four thanks to–surprise–Luke Maye.
The sophomore reserve hit the winning shot with 0.3 seconds left for a 75-73 win against Kentucky in the South Region championship game.
South Carolina, meanwhile, held on down the stretch to beat four-seed Florida 77-70 in the East Region final earlier yesteday.
Oregon beat Kansas 74-60 while Gonzaga dumped Xavier 83-59 in Saturday’s regional finals.
