March Madness 2016: Updated Schedule, Bracket and Key Players for Final Four

The North Carolina Tar Heels have made it to the Final Four for the 19th time in the men's basketball program's history, and head coach Roy Williams' team may be unstoppable when it comes to bringing home the national championship.

It at least seems to have the easiest path to the championship game. The No. 1-seeded Tar Heels will square off in the semifinals with the No. 10-seeded Syracuse Orange, a team that many thought did not belong in the NCAA tournament and few gave a chance to get close to the Final Four.

When the Final Four gets underway in Houston on Saturday evening, the Villanova Wildcats and Oklahoma Sooners will square off at 6:09 p.m. ET on TBS, and the Wildcats are early two-point favorites, according to Odds Shark. Both of those teams are No. 2 seeds.

The Tar Heels and Orange will follow, with a scheduled tipoff time of 8:49 p.m. ET on TBS, and North Carolina is a strong nine-point favorite, per Odds Shark.

When those two teams met in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, on Feb. 29, North Carolina had to work for 40 full minutes to come away with a 75-70 victory. That game started the nine-game winning streak the Tar Heels are riding into the Final Four.

Brice Johnson had 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Tar Heels in that contest, and Joel Berry II supported him with 13 points. 

The Tar Heels led by as many as 13 points in the second half, but Syracuse was undaunted, as Michael Gbinije scored 17 points and led the comeback effort.

Johnson and Gbinije should again be two of the most important players when the two ACC powers meet.

Johnson has impressive numbers this season, averaging 17.1 points along with 10.5 rebounds per game. However, his overall play may be more impressive than his numbers. Johnson is a brilliant defensive player who leads the team with 57 blocked shots, and he can change the game on either end of the court.

Johnson said he and his teammates are confident going into the Final Four.

“We definitely feel we’re the favorite, just because why wouldn’t you feel like you’re the favorite in this tournament?” he told Paul Schwartz of the New York Post. “You want to go in there very confident. You don’t want to go in there scared.”

Johnson should get plenty of help from Berry, who is averaging 12.8 points per game, and Marcus Paige, who is averaging 12.3 points and 3.7 assists per contest.

While the Orange are the outsiders in the Final Four, don't expect head coach Jim Boeheim's team to feel intimidated. Not only did it come close to beating the Tar Heels on their home court, but there is also little pressure on Syracuse.

Nobody expected the Orange to beat Virginia in the regional final, and Syracuse had to erase a double-digit second-half deficit to get back in the game and rally for the win. If the Orange can keep the game close into the second half, Boeheim's coaching and zone defense may push North Carolina into panic mode.

Once again, Boeheim has gotten the last laugh on critics who said Syracuse should have been playing in the NIT, per Bruce Beck of WNBC-TV:

Gbinije is Syracuse's most important player, and he is leading the team with 17.6 points per game. He gets plenty of help from Malachi Richardson, who is averaging 13.3 points per game and can keep his team in the contest with his long-range shooting. Richardson had 23 points in the 68-62 win over Virginia, and he made three of seven shots from beyond the arc.

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

Villanova will have its hands full while trying to keep Buddy Hield in check in the first semifinal game. Oklahoma's remarkable scorer is averaging 25.4 points per game and shooting 50.4 percent from the field. While Hield can drive with the ball and score inside, he is a sensational outside shooter who is connecting on 46.5 percent of his three-point shots.

Hield can take over any game, but he is far from a one-man gang. Jordan Woodard is averaging 13.0 points per game, while Isaiah Cousins is averaging 12.8 points and handing out 4.6 assists per contest.

The Wildcats are on a high after beating Kansas, the tournament's top overall seed, and head coach Jay Wright has a magnificent team that will be difficult to beat.

Villanova was at its best against the Jayhawks, and the Wildcats were the tougher team when the game was on the line, as Josh Hart and Ryan Arcidiacono did not let Kansas take the Final Four trip away from Villanova.

The two backcourt mates each had 13 points, as did forward Kris Jenkins. Those three and Daniel Ochefu are all averaging in double figures this season, and the Sooners will not be able to concentrate on stopping any one or two of them.

The battle-tested Wildcats are going to the Final Four after missing out on the opportunity last year. They should be ready for Oklahoma, and a Villanova-North Carolina championship game looks likely.