It’s that time of year again! March Madness has been in full swing since Selection Sunday on March 12, and now it is time for the final four teams to battle it out.The road to the final four spot is not easy, nor is it predictable. There are years where all the top seeds are knocked out in earlier battle rounds while the underdogs slide up in the ranks, and other years the high ranked teams stand their ground. This year, it is a mix of it all.

The 2017 final four teams are: (7) South Carolina Gamecocks, (1) Gonzaga Bulldogs, (1) UNC Tar Heels and the (3) Oregon Ducks. Three of the four teams are not shockers. However, the Gamecocks are the surprising entry.

As a seventh seeded team, there are reasons they might not take home the trophy, but there are reasons not to count them out. A seven seed is not a death trap in the final four. The University of Connecticut proved this back in 2014 when they won the national championship. Not to mention, South Carolina’s defense is ranked as number two. However, the negatives come from tournament history of teams lower than a three seed falling short in grabbing the championship with only two exceptions. The Gamecocks have also trailed in many of their tournament games and had to chip away at the score to catch up and win. This might work again or it may not in the game for the title.

On the opposite side, the is UNC who has made it to the NCAA tournament 45 times, which is the second-most all-time. The Tar Heels have also been in the NCAA Final Four 20 times, appeared in the championship 10 times and have a total of 116 victories with two being the national title. This team is quite familiar with the NCAA March Madness Tournament.

The Oregon Ducks and Gonzaga all also two high seeded teams with many reasons why they could win the championship. The Ducks have a dominating, psychical and versatile center, while Gonzaga also has a dominant center and an impressive defensive team.

Just as the tournament is unpredictable in who wins and who loses, the Final Four and NCAA National Championship could follow suit. Be sure to watch the Final Four Saturday, April 1 where South Carolina take on Gonzaga on CBS at 6:09 p.m., and Oregon vs. UNC at 8:49 p.m. Then be sure to catch the final two teams battle it out for the title of national champion on April 3 on CBS.

May the best team win!