CBS Sports Network analyst Wally Szczerbiak talks South Carolina’s rise, North Carolina’s advantage and a 3-point myth with The Post’s Justin Terranova.
Q: Is there a challenge Gonzaga presents that South Carolina hasn’t seen, yet?
A: The only concern I have for South Carolina with Gonzaga is in the middle, because they have three legit bigs in (Przemek) Karnowski, (Zach) Collins and (Killian) Tillie. But South Carolina continues to amaze me with their defense. They do have a little bit of a Big 3 with (Duane) Notice, (Sindarius) Thornwell and (PJ) Dozier. Those guys have just been playing at a high level, so they can definitely knock off Gonzaga.
Q: What has been the biggest difference between South Carolina in the regular season and the NCAA Tournament?
A: The defense has really been Frank Martin and his team’s MO. They struggled this season because they really shot the ball poorly. They were holding teams to low shooting percentages, but they weren’t able to get themselves in rhythm at times. That’s totally changed now. And there’s a little unfamiliarity with how hard they play on defense, and that’s caught some teams by surprise.
Q: How was Oregon able to control the Kansas game, and can that translate to North Carolina?
A: (Tyler) Dorsey, (Dillon) Brooks and (Jordan) Bell all went out and dominated their matchups. I think they are going to miss (Chris) Boucher against North Carolina because of how big North Carolina is. But Bell has been tremendous picking up the slack and doing all those things Boucher did.
Q: What does it say about North Carolina to get so close a year ago, and be back in the Final Four?
A: You can see them playing with motivation and a chip on their shoulder. They are solid down low and on the boards. We have to always remember how good they are with Theo Pinson in that lineup. When he’s in, that changes them completely on the defensive end, cause he takes on the other team’s best perimeter scorer. He’ll probably be on Dorsey, who has been on a tear, and that’s the key matchup in the game.
Q: Playing in a big stadium, like they will be this weekend, can sometimes hurt shooting in the Final Four. What exactly is the issue?
A: I’m the wrong guy to ask because I had 43 in the Superdome in the first round against Washington (in 1999). It’s just one of those things where mentally you have to get over it. It’s a little bit played up, and it can get in your head a little bit if you let it as a shooter. You have to get comfortable with the sight lines during practice.