Zags and Heels to Meet in the 'Title Two'

Clearly, making the Big Dance's championship game is better than a poke in the eye.

Even when you get a poke in the eye.

Just ask Poland's answer to Mt Spokane, 7-1 & 300lb Przemek Karnowski. Dude knows, and the term clearly was truly an issue.

Still, after damn near losing a leg to staph infection that needed a year of recovery, that was merely an inconvenience, as Karnowski led a contingent of Bulldog bigs to an entertaining 77-73 triumph over the plucky Gamecocks of South Carolina.

Nigel Williams-Goss did his bit by not trying to complete those outta-control drives to the hoop, pulling up and using space instead.

But the story in this game was the Zags' contingent of bigs:

• Karnowski powered his way to 13 points and 5 rebounds;
• Zach Collins went into rim-protector mode with 6 blocks to go with 13 boards and 14 points; and
• Killian Tillie pulled down the carom that mattered and then canned the two free throws that iced the game.

Dominant rebounding will likely determine the winner when Gonzaga meets North Carolina for the marbles.

As it was back in the day, in this season's Final Four, tall matters.

That funky floor in Oregon's new hoops palace features a silhouette of trees:

That's a tribute to the 1939 squad -- back when they were called the Webfoots -- that claimed the first-ever Dance. (Unfortunatly, the symbol under the 0 denotes a more tragic story.)

Dudes were called the Tall Firs; nicknames had a more Beaver Cleaver tint to them back then.

This year's edition should've taken note. Instead, they were done in by Tall Heels:

Incredible athleticism atones for many sins, but Old School fundamentals like blocking out never go amiss.

It's why the Tall Firs remain Oregon's only hoops champions.

Kennedy Meeks was a monster in this one, going off for 25 points and 14 boards, eight of which were offensive.

And two of which sealed the deal.

There will surely be the usual dose of long-range bombing on Monday night, with a few rumbles to the rim tossed in because that's the modern game, anymore.

But, as both semi-finals were, the title game's key will be who emerges from the alley with the ball. It's vital in every game, of course, but this one will be a return to the old ways..

For Gonzaga and North Carolina, brute force is essential to what they do.