NCAA Tournament 2017: Title Game Odds, March Madness Bracket Review

After two memorable games in the national semifinals, North Carolina and Gonzaga are set to meet in the NCAA championship game Monday night in Phoenix.

The game will be played at 9:20 p.m. ET and televised by CBS.

The Tar Heels are two-point favorites over the Bulldogs, according to OddsShark. The total in the game has been established at 151 points.

Gonzaga earned its first trip to the title game as a result of their 77-73 victory over South Carolina. Head coach Frank Martin's Gamecocks were down by 14 points in the second half, but they came roaring back and took a two-point lead.

However, the Bulldogs were ready to counter South Carolina's terrific run with one of their own. After Gonzaga fell behind by two points, the Bulldogs went on a 7-0 streak of their own to regain the lead. They were able to rely on their defense to keep the Gamecocks from doing any further damage.

Nigel Williams-Goss scored 23 points to lead the Bulldogs, while big men Przemek Karnowski and Zach Collins combined for 18 rebounds. Collins also had a game-high six blocked shots.

Williams-Goss turned an ankle under the basket, but he was not going to come out of such a vital game. "There was no way I was going to come out of the game. This is the last two games of the season," Williams-Goss told the Associated Press (via ESPN.com). "Now we're 40 minutes from a championship."

Matchup	Date	Time (ET)	TV	Point Spread	Over/Under
Gonzaga (1) vs. North Catrolina (1)	April 3	9:20 p.m.	CBS	North Carolina (-2)	151

North Carolina lost last year's national championship game to Villanova on a buzzer-beating three-point shot, but it earned a return trip to the final game after hanging on for a 77-76 victory over Oregon.

Oregon got off to a sharp start and took an eight-point lead in the first half, but the Tar Heels got their offense untracked and took a 39-36 lead at halftime.

North Carolina continued to add to their lead throughout most of the second half behind the stellar play of big man Kennedy Meeks, who scored 25 points and came down with 14 rebounds. Meeks made 11 of 13 shots from the field.

However, there was no quit in the Ducks, and every time North Carolina appeared ready to take full control, Oregon fought back to keep it close.

Keith Smith's layup with seven seconds allowed the Ducks to get within one point, and Meeks was quickly fouled after that shot. He missed both free throws, but Theo Pinson got the rebound and batted it to Joel Berry II. Berry also bricked his free-throw attempts, but Meeks came up with the offensive rebound and that allowed the Tar Heels to survive.

"My main focus was, if Joel missed the second free throw, to hit the offensive glass hard," Meeks told the Associated Press (via ESPN.com).

That determination proved to be decisive for North Carolina.

While South Carolina and Oregon fell short, it was a sensational run in the tournament for both teams.

The Gamecocks showed their toughness when they knocked out favored Duke in the round of 32 and followed up that victory with wins over Baylor and Florida to win the East Region.

Martin was emotional after the loss to Gonzaga, and he said his players should feel proud of their accomplishments.

“When we get home and they realize what they’ve done in our community, their hearts will open up with joy," Martin said. "The pain of losing a game eventually goes away.”

Oregon was one of the most athletic teams in the tournament, and the Ducks came up with a huge victory over Kansas in the Elite Eight to win the Midwest Region.

Gonzaga had earned its trip to the Final Four by beating Xavier decisively in the West Regional final, and North Carolina won the South Region with a narrow win over Kentucky.