The weekend that college basketball fans have been waiting for all year is finally here.
The Final Four of the NCAA tournament begins this Saturday in New Orleans, and only four teams remain in the tournament that started with 68 only two weeks ago.
This year’s Final Four is shaping up to be a good one, with each team taking its own unique path to New Orleans.
In the first matchup, we start with the winners out of the South and West regions. Kentucky is set to face the Big East tournament champion Louisville Cardinals in a battle of the bluegrass state.
It’s no surprise that the number one overall seed University of Kentucky Wildcats prevailed. Strong, athletic play from talented NBA prospects Michael Kidd-Gilchrest, Anthony Davis and Terrence Jones led them to victories over Western Kentucky, Iowa State, Indiana and Baylor en route to the Final Four. Coach John Calipari’s Wildcats are playing their best basketball at the most important time of the year, using their athleticism and good shooting to overwhelm opponents. Calipari will face an old friend in Louisville coach Pitino, but don’t expect them to be too pleasant with a national title on the line.
“I mean, we don’t send each other Christmas cards. But if I see him in public or in recruiting, we’ll spend some time together” Calipari said.
Louisville is the proverbial underdog of this Final Four, but as a four seed led by one of college basketball’s best coaches in Pitino, the Cardinals aren’t going to sneak up on anyone anymore. The Cardinals defeated Davidson, New Mexico, Michigan State and Marquette in the West region to set up a rematch with the Wildcats. The Cardinals are led by electric point guard Peyton Siva and Chane Behanan, and are looking to avenge an early season loss to their in-state rivals.
On the other side of the bracket, it will be a battle of the two seeds, also a rematch from earlier in the season, as the Kansas Jayhawks square off against The Ohio State University Buckeyes.
Kansas, a team that has overachieved greatly to this point, emerged from the Midwest region after defeating Detroit, Purdue, NC State and another tournament favorite, North Carolina. The Jayhawks, coached by Bill Self, have also saved some of their best performances for this time of year.
Led by national player of the year candidate Thomas Robinson and 7 foot center Jeff Withey on the interior, Kansas’ guards have also come to play in the tournament. Tyshawn Taylor, Travis Releford and Elijah Johnson have been key for the Jayhawks as of late, especially against North Carolina, where guard play was key for the Jayhawks against North Carolina’s talented front line.
Ohio State will have something to prove against Kansas as they try to avenge a 78-67 defeat from earlier in the season. One reason that the Buckeyes are confident going into the matchup is because of center Jared Sullinger, who missed most of the Kansas game with back spasms.
The Buckeyes are coached by another legend, Thad Matta, who has his team fully recovered from a mid-season slide and ready for a rematch against the Jayhawks. Ohio State, champions of the East region, have defeated Loyola Maryland, Gonzaga, Cincinnati and Syracuse on their way to New Orleans.
Along with Sullinger, another player of the year candidate, Ohio State has gotten timely scoring from forward Deshaun Thomas, guards William Buford and Aaron Craft to lift the Buckeyes to the brink of a championship.
With rematches being the main theme of this year’s Final Four, Ohio State and Louisville will try to avenge early season losses, with Kentucky and Kansas looking to prevail once again. No matter what the outcome, look for a great weekend in college basketball, and a new national champion to rise from the ashes.
My Picks
Kansas vs. Ohio State
Kentucky vs. Louisville
Kansas vs. Kentucky