Final Four 2016: Key Player for Each Team in Houston

In order for a team to make the Final Four, it needs a combination of skill, leadership, timely coaching and a little bit of luck. To secure a spot in the national championship, each team will need its key player to elevate their play and take over the game.  

Each team's roster is well-balanced—an asset that supersedes even the extraordinary ability of any single player. But while no one player is capable of winning a game alone, they can still employ a leadership role and improve the play of their teammates.

The Oklahoma Sooners, Villanova Wildcats, Syracuse Orange and North Carolina Tar Heels all have their sights set on one goal: winning the national championship. Which key player will help them achieve that goal?

Let's break down the most viable candidates for each team and how they can lead their teams to victory.

Villanova Wildcats: Josh Hart, G

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Josh Hart's ability to excel on both ends of the floor will be greatly needed against Oklahoma.

Villanova appears to be the definition of well-balanced. Rather than relying on a specific player to take over the game, each member of the Wildcats starting five can pick up the additional scoring slack on a given night.

But with all due respect to Kris Jenkins, Ryan Arcidiacono, Daniel Ochefu and Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart stands as Villanova's Final Four key player.

The 6'5" junior has averaged 15.3 points per game this season and is shooting 50.6 percent from the field. But through the tournament so far, Hart has taken a slight step back on offense.

CSNPhilly.com's Reuben Frank has noticed the decrease in Hart's offensive performance throughout the tournament, including a woeful 6-of-17 shooting performance against Kansas in the Elite Eight. Fortunately, Arcidiacono and Jenkins have made up the scoring difference. 

But as Frank also noted, Hart's elite on-ball defense, big-shot abilities and rebounding have made up for the scoring dip. Given his apparent task of having to guard Buddy Hield, these attributes alone are enough to make him Villanova's key player.

Offensively, Hart needs to regain consistency on three-point attempts. After closing out the regular season on an eight-game stretch shooting 33 percent or better from downtown, he has gone 3-of-13 (23 percent) during the tournament.

If he focuses on spreading the ball around more than being a volume shooter, it would create some disadvantages for the Sooners defense. Expect him to try to find his shot early, but if he finds himself in another deep shooting rut, he'll likely focus more on assists.

Of course, Hart's greatest value for this game is on defense. Limiting Hield's offensive explosion alone is worth more than his own offensive production, so he'll need to stay energized—and more importantly, out of foul trouble. 

Oklahoma Sooners: Buddy Hield, G

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Having the best NCAA tournament performance since Steph Curry in 2008, Buddy Hield is undoubtedly Oklahoma's key player in the Final Four.

It's safe to say that based on Hield's recent play, Hart will have to bring his A-game on Saturday.

The 6'4" senior has pieced together a legendary NCAA tournament performance, averaging 29.25 points per contest on 38-of-67 shooting (56.7 percent). His 37-point performance against Oregon in the Elite Eight was simply another stellar display of his abilities on the national stage.

When Oklahoma and Villanova met back on Dec. 7 in the Sooners' 78-55 victory, Hield surprisingly was not the best player that game. That honor belonged to fellow guard Isaiah Cousins, whose 19 points and 10 assists both led the team.

Both teams have vastly improved since then, which sets the stage perfectly for another sensational Hield performance. He'll need to continue to hit his jump shot, even though he'll be playing in Houston's NRG Stadium, which is notorious for its poor jump shot success rate.

Regardless, Villanova's zone defense would enable Hield to draw some favorable jump shots, even against Hart. Per Guerin Emig of Tulsa World, Hield warns that a zone defense plays right into his hands:

"

I’m a shooter. My eyes should light up because that means they’re not guarding you. You can just catch and shoot. My range is unlimited sometimes...If a team plays zone, that means they don’t really wanna guard you...If they play zone, my eyes will light up.

"

Given the importance of Hield to the Sooners offense, Villanova would be wise to play more aggressively on him, forcing him to take less favorable shots.

Hield's volume shooting will no doubt dictate Oklahoma's Final Four fate. Even if he isn't quite as effective as usual, senior forward Ryan Spangler has an opportunity to clean up on the offensive glass and cause more problems for Villanova.

Syracuse Orange: Michael Gbinije, G

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One of Syracuse's senior leaders, Michael Gbinije will need to lead the Orange offense against North Carolina.

No. 10-seeded Syracuse's venture to the Final Four was seen as improbable to many. But as is the case with Villanova, its well-balanced roster and experience speaks volumes to its success.

Trevor Cooney and Malachi Richardson are both viable candidates to be the key player for the Orange, but ultimately, that role belongs to Michael Gbinije.

The 6'7" senior had a rigorous and well-documented path to Syracuse after not panning out at Duke, and he has made the most of his second opportunity. He has made significant strides each season, leading up to his average of 17.6 points per game this season.

Having made the successful switch from small forward to point guard, head coach Jim Boeheim has created a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses. Gbinije isn't as nimble as a regular-sized point guard, but he utilizes his size well, especially on defense (2.0 steals per contest).

Offensively, Gbinije isn't afraid to shoot the three-pointer, averaging slightly below 40 percent from long range. His overall jump shot can be quite lethal, as he showed particularly in the round of 32 against Middle Tennessee.

Against North Carolina, it will be interesting to see how Boeheim manipulates his zone defense. Marcus Paige is undoubtedly the leader of the Tar Heels backcourt (with all due respect to Joel Berry II), and Boeheim will need to decide whether Cooney or Gbinije will primarily guard him—although there will be several players guarding him at various times.

Conversely, North Carolina will need to lock down Gbinije on the perimeter. Paige is an underrated defender, and it would surely make for an intriguing matchup. Of course, the 6'8" Justin Jackson could also be called to guard him and even out the height differential.

North Carolina Tar Heels: Brice Johnson, F

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Though Hield has received the most praise for his sensational tournament, Brice Johnson is compiling a historic tournament of his own.

Hield may be the favorite to win the Most Outstanding Player award for the NCAA tournament, but Brice Johnson is keeping the race surprisingly close.

Matthew Giles of the Washington Post notes that the 6'9" forward has played exceptionally well throughout the tournament. He cites John Hollinger's Game Score, a metric used to measure a player's individual performance in a game-to-game setting.

Johnson has a Game Score of 21.1, which is tied with Hield—both are slightly behind the 24.1 mark that Curry set in 2008. As a result, a potential Oklahoma-North Carolina national championship matchup could determine who wins the award. 

Johnson has been lethal on both shooting and rebounding. His double-double averages of 17.1 points and 10.5 rebounds are quite impressive, but so too is his field-goal percentage of 61.6 percent.

He is also capable of putting up monstrous numbers if not properly guarded. Against Florida State back on Jan. 4, Johnson went for 39 points and 23 rebounds, going 14-of-16 from the floor.

Against Syracuse, he should have a big advantage offensively. It wouldn't be surprising for 6'8" freshman Tyler Lydon to guard Johnson, which would allow him to choose from his vast arsenal of effective mid- and close-range shots.

Even if the 6'8" Tyler Roberson ends up primarily guarding Johnson, he should still be able to work around the rim. It wouldn't be surprising at all to see Paige and Berry take a backseat to him offensively, especially if he gets hot early.