Daily Word: Who will prevail in national semifinals?

— -- Each weekday, our college hoops experts discuss the biggest issues, trends and themes in college basketball.

1. Who wins between Syracuse-North Carolina? Why?

Andy Katz: North Carolina. The Tar Heels want to dominate inside and run. Syracuse will want the Tar Heels to shoot over the zone. North Carolina has the right personnel to get in the middle of the zone with various big men. The Orange's run has been remarkable, but it's hard to see the Tar Heels failing to take advantage of their ability to rebound and crack the zone -- whether with the midrange game or dump-down passes to bigs in the post.

Jeff Goodman: North Carolina. This is where the dream ends for Jim Boeheim and the Cuse -- who are playing with house money. The Tar Heels will use their size, depth and talent to win this one.

Dana O'Neil: North Carolina. The combination of the Tar Heels' depth and size inside will be too much for Syracuse to handle. As good as the zone has been, I don't think it can shut down all of the weapons the Tar Heels have.

2. Who wins between Villanova-Oklahoma? Why?

Katz: Kansas coach Bill Self said one player can carry a team to a title. He's right. Buddy Hield is talented enough to do it. But he has help. And the Sooners are playing quite well offensively overall. Villanova has been tearing it up on 3s of late. But the Sooners might be able to body them up and disrupt the Wildcats' ability to get good looks. This has the potential to be a late-possession game, but the edge goes to Oklahoma.

Goodman: Oklahoma. Buddy, Buddy, Buddy. The Sooners get the slight edge, especially if Isaiah Cousins comes to play.

O'Neil: Villanova. The Wildcats' defense is the X factor in a game that features two teams that like to shoot 3s. It will be about the ones that don't go in, as opposed to the ones that do, and Villanova's ability to defend the arc will be the difference maker.

3. Who will be the biggest (or least likely) star come Saturday night?

Katz: Hield. This is Buddy's Final Four. I'm not going to shy away from him yet. He has embraced the moment as well as we've seen from someone in the NCAA tournament. He's also been a terrific second-half player, and there's a good chance that will continue.

Goodman: I'm going with Hield. He's the star -- and he wants the ball in the big moment. He's fearless and makes big shots.

O'Neil: Kris Jenkins. Everyone knows all about Ryan Arcidiacono by now, but Jenkins still flies under the radar. He's averaging 15.3 points per game in the NCAA tournament, shooting 56 percent from the floor. With everyone eyeballing Arcidiacono and Hield, don't be surprised if the undersung Jenkins steals the show.