National championship predictions and Most Outstanding Player picks

Pat Forde

I picked North Carolina to win it all before the tournament, and there’s no reason to switch now. Well, wait a minute, there are a few reasons: Gonzaga certainly played better than the Tar Heels on Saturday night in advancing to the title game; Joel Berry’s gimpy ankles are a concern; and Isaiah Hicks can’t throw it in the ocean (9 of 29 field goals and 6 of 13 free throws the last four games). But Kennedy Meeks has that Senior On A Mission look to him, and Justin Jackson is a matchup problem for Gonzaga, and Theo Pinson will make life difficult for Nigel Williams-Goss. The Heels have been on a quest for a year now, and the quest is fulfilled Monday night in an excellent, dramatic game. Prediction: North Carolina 77, Gonzaga 74.

Justin Jackson will be the MOP. At 6-foot-8, he is tall enough to shoot over and post up Gonzaga’s guards and too quick to be covered by the Zags’ 4-man. He’s had a great tournament, averaging 20 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.6 steals. He’ll add to those numbers Monday and take home the individual hardware to go with the team trophy as well.

Jeff Eisenberg

Gonzaga is the little school that could. North Carolina is the bluest of the blue bloods. Yet for all the differences in tradition between college basketball’s two finalists, the teams they’re bringing to Monday’s title game are strikingly similar, from their massive frontcourts, to their achy-ankled point guards, to their unparalleled depth. Expect a close game between two evenly matched teams, but if forced to choose, I think North Carolina has a slight edge. Its frontcourt can outmuscle every Gonzaga big man besides Przemek Karnowski on the offensive glass and the Zags do not have a perimeter defender tall enough to cause Justin Jackson problems. Prediction: North Carolina 77, Gonzaga 73.

While Gonzaga’s impenetrable defense has smothered Xavier’s Trevon Bluiett and limited South Carolina’s Sindarius Thornwell, North Carolina’s Justin Jackson poses a different sort of challenge. The 6-foot-8 swingman has the size of a power forward and the quickness of a guard. He can elevate over the top of 6-4 Jordan Mathews or 6-4 Silas Melson and he doesn’t need to get to the rim to score, meaning he can render Gonzaga’s stable of rim protectors somewhat irrelevant. Since Jackson is the toughest matchup on the floor, the reigning ACC player of the year is also the best bet to win Most Outstanding Player honors.

Malika Andrews

Only one thing can be certain about Monday night’s match up between Gonzaga and North Carolina: It is going to come down to the wire. Although the Tar Heels will undoubtedly come into the game with a trophy-sized chip on their shoulder from last year’s narrow, heartbreaking loss to Villanova, I am choosing Gonzaga to come out on top. The Zags are determined to prove haters who say they have an easy schedule playing in the West Coast Conference wrong and that should power them through to a win.

The Bulldogs’ success will partly be dependent on Nigel Williams-Goss’ ankle injury that he sustained during Saturday night’s game. But if he is healthy, I am going with Gonzaga largely because they are the better defensive team. UNC’s Kennedy Meeks has been outstanding in the tournament thus far, but he hasn’t been faced defenders like 7-foot Przemek Karnowski and freshman All-American Zach Collins. If those two can shut down Kennedy and keep UNC off the boards, it’s a wrap. Prediction: Gonzaga 74 UNC 71.

Since getting off to a bumpy start in the NCAA tournament, Williams-Goss has averaged 17 points per game and has hit clutch shots when it mattered most. He will nail those big shots down the stretch on Monday night and will be named Most Outstanding Player.

Henry Bushnell

Gonzaga is the best team in college basketball, and has offered no reason to believe it’ll play like anything but that on Monday night. There are one or two reasons that North Carolina presents a difficult matchup, but the Zags have been consistently great on both ends of the floor. They have a more fundamentally sound offense and an all-around excellent defense. They’ll squeak out a win, and will hopefully never have to see the word “overrated” next to their name ever again. Prediction: Gonzaga 73, North Carolina 71.

They’ll lift the trophy in large part due to Nigel Williams-Goss, who was the best player on the floor on Saturday against South Carolina, and will be again on Monday. I would not be at all surprised to see him limit Joel Berry, still hobbled by the ankle injury, to fewer than 10 points. And with Gonzaga’s frontcourt neutralized by North Carolina’s, Williams-Goss will come through with just enough offense to claim not only the national title, but the title of Most Outstanding Player.

Matt Fortuna

Both teams can score. Both teams are deep. Both teams are heavy on upperclassmen. Say what you want about Gonzaga, but these Bulldogs have passed every test thrown their way, from a rugged non-conference schedule, to a run to the Final Four, to the punches they took late against South Carolina, regrouping late to close the deal and secure a spot in Monday’s title game.

The difference in the final will be defense. The Zags, tops in the nation in defensive efficiency (per KenPom), have bodies to throw at Kennedy Meeks and Justin Jackson. They can minimize the Tar Heels’ other threats, although expecting Joel Berry and Co. to shoot as poorly as they did against Oregon is probably not smart. Moreover, they have the freedom from expectation, something they rid themselves of by making their first Final Four. UNC? The Heels carry the pressure of having to win it all after last year’s title-game defeat. Yes, that can often be a driving force — look at Clemson football this year — but judging from four missed free throws to end Saturday’s contest, that can just as easily be a burden, too. Prediction: Gonzaga 71, North Carolina 68.

The Bulldogs close the deal, with Nigel Williams-Goss leading the way with several big buckets down the stretch to win the Most Outstanding Player award.