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No. 2 Villanova vs. No. 1 North Carolina - National Championship Game
When: Monday, April 4, 2016 at 9:19 p.m. ET
Where: NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
How to Watch: TBS
Spread: UNC -2
It's for all the marbles.
Will the team from the Big East cut down the nets or will Roy Williams win his third National Championship?
In a few hours, we will find out as the Wildcats of Villanova and the Tar Heels of North Carolina will take the court on the biggest stage in college basketball.
It's a compelling match-up between a guard heavy team (Villanova) and a squad that relies on it's physical play and toughness in the interior. Ryan Arcidiacono and Jalen Brunson have been steady throughout the season as they are consistent, reliable and rarely turn the basketball over. They will match-up against Marcus Paige and Joel Berry II, who have both played some outstanding basketball in March but aren't necessarily consistent from beyond the arc.
For UNC, they always have a monster advantage in the front court due to the unique athleticism of Brice Johnson, the power Kennedy Meeks and the always improving Isaiah Hicks. Daniel Ochefu will have to put forth one of the games of his life to match-up against Johnson and Meeks, Darryl Reynolds will likely have to give Jay Wright quality minutes off the bench and Josh Hart's work ethic and relentlessness will be important in terms of competing on the glass.
Where Villanova could truly have the edge is the presence of Kris Jenkins, who has taken his game to another level in the second half of the season. Jenkins is capable of putting the ball on the floor and knocking down shots from the perimeter so he is a complete mismatch for the Tar Heels.
Johnson is athletic but doesn't move well laterally and Meeks is not exactly comfortable defending on the perimeter. Will Justin Jackson take the assignment? Or will Hicks play more minutes than Meeks?
That will truly be the question that may decide the outcome of what should be a thriller in Houston.