Games 398-399: Championship game next

NCAA Tournament national semifinals
April 1 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, AZ
CBS

399 - (3) Oregon vs. (1) North Carolina
398 - (7) South Carolina vs. (1) Gonzaga

So, after 4 1/2 months of basketball, top seeds Gonzaga and North Carolina will play for the national title on Monday.

In the first game of the night, Gonzaga used another excellent performance from its best player, Nigel Williams-Goss (23 points on 9-of-16 shooting, six assists) and survived, 77-73.

South Carolina saw its improbable tournament come to an end, though the seventh-seeded Gamecocks' 16-0 run allowed them to erase a 14-point, second-half deficit and lead 67-65 at the seven-minute mark. Gonzaga reasserted itself and followed with seven quick points (Zach Collins hit a three and assisted on another basket and Williams-Goss had the other two assists during the spurt) and the Bulldogs hit just enough free throws to hang on.

It seems pretty fitting that Gonzaga will play North Carolina for the title as these two have seemed like the best all-around clubs in the country for much of the year.

The Tar Heels had a double-digit lead, but a late Oregon flurry (and UNC missing its final four free throws in the last five seconds) made the final score - 77-76 - a bit closer than it really was for much of the second half. Kennedy Meeks came up big for the Tar Heels, pouring in 25 points, 14 rebounds (eight offensive!) on a silly 11-of-13 shooting from the field. ACC player of the year Justin Jackson added 22 points for UNC, which returns to the championship game after last year's heartbreak at the hands of Kris Jenkins and Villanova hoping for its sixth national title.

Gonzaga, of course, is playing on the season's final day for the first time.