NCAA Final Four Review: Men’s & Women’s

With the Final Four upon us, it’s easy to say that this year’s tournament has been insanity. Upsets, Cinderella stories, domination and much more. You name it; the 2017 NCAA Basketball tournaments have had it.

For the Men’s bracket, the headlines have been about the newcomers. Both Gonzaga and South Carolina punched their tickets to their schools first ever Final Four, a very remarkable feat. Along with the teams, the coaches are making their first appearances to the Final Four. These two teams square off on Saturday, April 1st and one team will be in their first ever NCAA National Championship game. Just let that set in.

Another newcomer is Oregon. This is just Oregon’s second ever Final Four, and their first since 1939. They advanced in dominating fashion and have a tall task in front of them. There is one wily veteran among the four, and that is North Carolina. This is their 20th appearance in the Final Four. That is the most of any school in the NCAA. There is a tale of two stories among the men’s Final Four and an exciting National Championship game is sure to follow.

For the Women’s bracket, UConn has been all the talk. They are in their 10th consecutive Final Four, seeking their fifth straight National Championship and currently have a winning streak of 111 games and counting. All you can say is, wow. They face off with Mississippi State, who is also making history of their own. Like two of the men’s teams, they are in their first ever Final Four. After upsetting Baylor in the Elite Eight, will they have what it takes to hang with UConn?

Yet another record was set, with the South Carolina women’s team making it to the Final Four, along with their men’s team. This is their second Final Four birth in three years. They are looking to join the elite in women’s basketball. They face off with Stanford, who was able to rally from behind after being down by 16-points to defeat Notre Dame. This is Stanford’s 13th appearance in the Final Four. They are looking to keep the hot streak alive and make a trip to the National Championship game.

This year’s March Madness has been absolutely thrilling. Teams look to continue the insanity, with the women leading off the weekend playing on Friday, March 31st. The men follow up on Saturday. Whatever your plans are this weekend, make sure you set aside some time to park yourself in front of the TV for some college basketball. Whether you know it or not, history is happening right in front of our faces. You don’t want to be that person that missed it. Lets get ready for some basketball.