NCAA Tournament 2016: Title Game Odds, March Madness Bracket Review

North Carolina opened the season as the nation's top-ranked team. Villanova spent three weeks atop the college basketball rankings. Now, the two teams will battle on Monday night for the national championship. 

When the two teams meet, North Carolina (-2.5) will be the slight favorite, according to OddsShark.com. But it's hard to differentiate much between the teams, both of which have absolutely dominated this tournament.

North Carolina has won each of its five games by at least 14 points and has scored at least 83 points in each contest. The Tar Heels haven't had the toughest run to the title game—their biggest challenge came from No. 6 Notre Dame in the Elite Eight—but the Tar Heels have simply gone out and won the games they were expected to win, often times with ease.

Providence and Indiana weren't easy matchups on the road to the Final Four, but the Tar Heels got past each team without major issues.

They have veteran leaders in Brice Johnson and Marcus Paige. They are long and athletic, and few teams rebound or control the paint better than the Tar Heels. They play at a high pace and can score in droves, often overwhelming teams with their scoring runs. They are deep, too, meaning they very rarely tire.

“They’re just too big and strong and good,” Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said, per Zach Schonbrun of the New York Times, after his team fell to the Tar Heels in the Final Four on Saturday. “They’ve got a great basketball team.”

If any team is equipped to deal with North Carolina, however, it might just be Villanova. The Wildcats reached the title game in style, beating Oklahoma by a shocking 44 points on Saturday, the largest margin of victory in a Final Four semifinal in college basketball history.

They also limited Buddy Hield—one of the nation's top players this season—to just nine points on 4-of-12 shooting from the field.

"That was just one of those nights," Villanova coach Jay Wright told ESPN after the game, probably at as much of a loss for words as anyone else after his team's complete dominance. "I feel bad for Oklahoma."

Of the two teams, Nova has probably faced a tougher road to the title game. They beat two teams (Kansas, Oklahoma) that were at one point ranked No. 1 in the nation, while they dismantled Iowa and Miami teams with talented rosters.

Villanova has gotten this far behind two key factors: their swarming, relentless defense and their red-hot shooting. The former is the difference between this Villanova team and the talented versions of the past that lost in the first weekend in previous tournaments. The latter is the reason this team has dismantled the rest of the field, save its close win over Kansas.

Of course, Villanova's experience helps, too. Much like the Tar Heels, the Wildcats have veteran leaders, led by seniors Ryan Arcidiacono and Daniel Ochefu. The Wildcats have torrid scorers (Kris Jenkins, Josh Hart), talented ball-handlers (Arcidiacono, Jalen Brunson) and big bodies inside (Ochefu).

Ochefu will be the key for Villanova. While the perimeter players will get their points, Ochefu's ability to rebound and block shots will make him vital against a North Carolina team that has dominated every other team in the paint. If Ochefu has a big game and the Wildcats continued shooting at their torrid pace, they'll be tough to beat. 

Regardless, this should be a national title game to remember. Both teams play an exciting brand of basketball, both have experienced leaders who won't be overwhelmed by the moment, and both have been fantastic to this point.

Bring on the fireworks.

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