Matchups We Would Love to See in the 2017 NCAA Tournament

Among the countless things that make the NCAA tournament great are the compelling matchups that come about during the course of the three-week event. From the opening round through the Final Four, a team's chances of advancing are as much dependent on whom it faces as it is on how it performs.

Early on, the pairings are completely based on seeding, with the strongest teams paired up against perceived weaker ones, but that doesn't prevent the matchups from having some intrigue. These could be in the form of rivalries, teams with similar (or diverging) styles or clubs that have some unique connection.

Last season, rivals Indiana and Kentucky clashed in the second round, while former Big 12 foes Oklahoma and Texas A&M met in the Sweet 16. The Midwest Region final pitted two ACC teams, Syracuse and Virginia, and then we capped it all off with a thrilling title game between North Carolina and its top-rated offense against Villanova's No. 4 defense.

We're sure to get more such great matchups when the 2017 tourney begins in a few weeks, but wouldn't it be nice to get to pick out some? We've put together a list of ones we'd like to see happen, using the teams that Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller currently projects to make the field.

UCLA Bruins vs. Virginia Cavaliers

Leon Bennett/Getty Images

Last meeting: November 1990 (UCLA won 89-74)

It's the closest thing to the irresistible force meeting the immovable object in a college basketball sense, since UCLA owns the top-rated offense in the country while Virginia's defense ranks second-best in Division I. Which side will come out on top when such diverging styles meet?

UCLA averages 91.9 points per game and shoots 53.3 percent, making 41.8 percent of its three-pointers. Virginia gives up only 55.5 points per game (while scoring 68.8) thanks to a painstakingly slow pace that averages 60.7 possessions per 40 minutes. Compare that to the 75.2 per 40 that UCLA averages, as the Bruins have yet to play a game that didn't feature fewer than 64 possessions.

Virginia is massively efficient despite its slow pace, ranking 19th in offensive rating, and UCLA has had 10 games in which its opponents have scored more than one point per possession.

Could Lonzo Ball solve the Cavaliers' pack-line defense? Would Virginia be able to match the Bruins basket for basket?

Duke Blue Devils vs. SMU Mustangs

Joe Murphy/Getty Images

Last meeting: March 1988 (Duke won 94-79)

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski hasn't had many players transfer from his program over the years, but some of the ones who have opted to go elsewhere have made their mark with their new team. Michael Gbinije shined in the NCAA tournament last season for Syracuse, helping the Orange make the Final Four, and SMU is hoping Semi Ojeleye is capable of doing the same for it.

Ojeleye, a 6'7” junior forward, averages a team-high 18.1 points and 6.6 rebounds for SMU. He sat out the 2015-16 season after playing 23 games in two years with Duke, transferring midway through 2014-15. He would have been eligible to play in December 2015 but opted to retain his eligibility in the wake of the NCAA declaring SMU ineligible for the postseason last year.

That move means he'll have another seasons with the Mustangs after this one if he chooses, though DraftExpress has Ojeleye projected as the No. 43 pick in the 2017 NBA draft.

Had he stayed at Duke, Ojeleye could have been a valuable veteran in the Blue Devils' frontcourt much like senior Amile Jefferson has been. Instead he's got SMU in first place in the American Athletic Conference.

Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. Oregon Ducks

Josh Lefkowitz/Getty Images

Last meeting: December 1999 (Oregon won 70-64)

Who are the best college basketball teams in the West? There are no shortage of choices, though Gonzaga has to be at the top of the list this season as the top-ranked team and the only remaining unbeaten squad in Division I. Among the Bulldogs' victims in 2016-17 is Arizona, which itself has beaten UCLA, which has a win in two tries against Oregon.

Could Gonzaga take down the Ducks? If so, it would be the program's first win in 10 tries since 1949-50, its second-most losses against a team without a victory (the Bulldogs are 0-12 all-time against Oregon State).

Oregon reached the Elite Eight last season and could be in for another such run in 2016-17, with a strong shot to get a high seed out West. Gonzaga looks like a lock for the No. 1 seed in the West Region unless it suddenly starts losing, which would mean these Pacific Northwest powers could be on a collision course for a meeting with a Final Four on the line.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Purdue Boilermakers

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Last meeting: Dec. 17 (Purdue won 86-81)

The NCAA tournament selection committee goes out of its way to avoid having teams that played each other during the regular season meet up in the first round. After that, though, anything is possible.

There are quite a few great games from the last few months that we'd love to see again, and that includes the Crossroads Classic matchup between Notre Dame and Purdue that was played in Indianapolis. Notre Dame led the Boilermakers 52-38 at halftime, but Purdue stormed back to outscore the Fighting Irish by 19 in the second half.

That contest saw each team's top player stand out like he has all season. Notre Dame junior forward Bonzie Colson had 23 points and 10 rebounds, and Purdue sophomore big man Caleb Swanigan chipped in 26 points with 10 boards. Each player is averaging a double-double this season, having registered a combined 38 of those in 53 games.

A rematch between these in-state rivals would no doubt be thrilling, even more so with the knowledge the loser's season would be over. The only time they've met in the postseason was 2004, though Notre Dame's 71-59 win came against Purdue in the NIT.

Kansas Jayhawks vs. South Carolina Gamecocks

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Last meeting: January 2007 (Kansas won 70-54)

Kansas is creeping closer to earning at least a share of its 13th consecutive Big 12 regular-season title, an achievement that in no way should be discounted. Except when you consider that performance has no bearing on postseason success, as during that run the Jayhawks have won a title and finished runner-up another year but they haven't been to the Final Four since 2011-12.

Maybe this season will be different, though like in most years, that will be heavily dependent on who Kansas has to face. Last year the Jayhawks fell in the Elite Eight to eventual national champion Villanova, and in 2012-13 they lost in the Sweet 16 to finalist Michigan.

The other years in that stretch, they ran into teams that managed to neutralize their best attributes. This season that would be three-point shooting, with Kansas ranked fifth nationally at 41.3 percent, as senior guard Frank Mason is hitting 50.9 percent of his threes while four other Jayhawks are shooting at least 35 percent.

But Kansas is susceptible to cold perimeter shooting, posting rates under 30 percent six times, including against Duke and Kentucky, each ranked in the top 40 in three-point defense. The best at defending the three, though, is South Carolina, allowing just 28.1 percent of attempts to go in, with only 10 of the Gamecocks' 26 foes making more than five threes.

Arizona Wildcats vs. Dayton Flyers

Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports

Last meeting: November 2000 (Arizona won 76-59)

Unless they end up coaching in the same conference, it's unlikely Arizona's Sean Miller and Dayton's Archie Miller will go out of their way to face each other on the court. But since they have no control over who they end up playing during the postseason, the 2017 NCAA tournament would be made all the more better by facilitating a reunion.

Archie Miller, in his sixth season at Dayton, was on Sean Miller's staff at Arizona from 2009-11, but since then their interactions have been reserved for family gatherings, coaching clinics and the occasional text or phone call. Each has likely watched the other on television and probably notices the similar styles, including an unwavering intensity while roaming the sidelines.

Some coaches are so animated during games they warrant a split-screen camera angle. If Arizona and Dayton met in March (or April, if they each made the Final Four) we might need a tri-screen to ensure all angles of the game and the coaches' respective mannerisms are on full display.

North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Villanova Wildcats

Mitchell Layton/Getty Images

Last meeting: 2016 NCAA title game (Villanova won 77-74)

Last year's national championship game was one for the ages, with Villanova taking the title thanks to a three-pointer at the buzzer by Kris Jenkins. It was such a great contest that we sure wouldn't mind seeing those teams meet up again.

It would be great if that didn't happen until the final, since that would be the first rematch in the championship game since Cincinnati beat Ohio State in both 1961 and 1962, but any round would do. Both squads are in the running for a No. 1 seed, though, so what's most likely is for them to meet up in the Final Four or possibly the Elite Eight.

Adding to the drama of such a rematch would be the number of players involved in last year's game who are back. Jenkins, who had 14 points against North Carolina, is one of three returning starters for Villanova along with Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart, while UNC's roster includes six players who combined for 39 points, 19 rebounds and nine assists against the Wildcats last April.

All statistics courtesy of Sports-Reference.com, unless otherwise noted. All recruiting information courtesy of Scout.com, unless otherwise noted.

Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.