NCAA Tournament Final Four: Who Cuts Down the Nets in Houston on Monday?
We started at 68 teams in what has been one of the craziest and most unpredictable NCAA Tournaments of recent memory.
Then there were four.
Kentucky, Connecticut, Butler and Virginia Commonwealth are the last four standing and will collide in Houston on Saturday night in the 2011 Final Four.
The winners of the UConn-Kentucky and VCU-Butler games will meet at Reliant Stadium on Monday night for the right to cut down the nets as national champions in 2011.
Each of these teams has earned their way to this moment, despite very few giving any of them a chance. Of the 14 experts who filled out brackets for ESPN, only two correctly picked a Final Four team. Both had Connecticut.
The Huskies continued an incredible postseason run, which started with five wins in five days to win the Big East Tournament, by easing through their first two NCAA games before holding off fights from San Diego State and Arizona, both of whom had the luxury of practically playing a home game. Despite playing 3,000 miles from home, UConn won the West again and reached its second Final Four in three years.
Kentucky can never be overlooked come tournament time, despite often coming up short lately. Despite being in the bracket with the top overall seed, Ohio State, the fourth seed Wildcats knocked out both the Buckeyes and the number two, North Carolina, to reach their first Final Four since 1998.
Butler returns to the Final Four a year after falling just short against Duke in the National Championship Game. The Bulldogs, or as I call them, America's Sweetheart, have been playing incredible basketball, getting by Old Dominion, Pittsburgh, Wisconsin, and Florida in succession. Shelvin Mack and Matt Howard lead an incredibly talented and well coached team back to the Final Four, but this time do not plan on falling short.
Then, there's the other guys. I still hold firm to the belief that Virginia Commonwealth absolutely did not deserve to be selected for the NCAA Tournament. However, that does not mean I disagree with the statement that they have been one of the best teams in this field and deserve their spot in the Final Four. After beating USC in the First Four, VCU knocked off Georgetown, Purdue, Florida State, and Kansas to reach its first ever Final Four and became only the third 11 seed to get this far.
There is a lot of time until the tip-off of the first game. There is going to be a lot of talk about the three games that remain in the tournament, but that is all it is, talk. The teams will have the final say on who wins it all this weekend.
Since we have so much time to talk, here is my take on who wins each game and who will have a new banner in their gym after becoming national champion.
SW (11) VCU Vs. SE (8) Butler: Not-so-Cinderella Bulldogs Take Cinderella Battle
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I do not care that Butler are a mid-major. To me, they are an elite team. That may be somewhat of an obvious statement for a team in its second straight Final Four with practically the same line-up minus a couple players, but it had to be said.
The Bulldogs roared through the Southeast Region leaving nothing but pain in their tracks. Brad Stevens once again showed that his youthfulness is not an issue. In fact, Stevens is undoubtedly one of the best coaches in the country.
Having a good coach does not always guarantee success, but no worries for the boys from Indy. Shelvin Mack and Matt Howard are two notable NBA prospects on a deep and dangerous team.
VCU's run has been nice and one to remember, but it ends on Saturday. They cannot keep this up. It will be the biggest game any of those Rams have ever played, surely in front of the biggest crowd they have seen. Shaka Smart will do his best to get them ready, but the genius of Stevens and the powerful force known as Butler, who have that "been there, done that," advantage will get to enjoy Houston for a couple more nights.
E (4) Kentucky Vs. W (3) Connecticut: Wildcats Get Kemba'd in Maui Rematch
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A month ago, I would have never imagined the Huskies even making the Final Four. After witnessing, in person, that magical run at Madison Square Garden, I had no problems making them the first team I penned into the Final Four. Good thing they helped me out, because they are my only team left in the bracket.
What UConn has done since losing their last regular season game to Notre Dame by three is nothing short of remarkable. The Huskies, projected to finish around 5-13 in the Big East and miss out on the postseason completely, headed to MSG as the ninth seed at 9-9. They easily got by DePaul before beating No. 22 Georgetown, No. 3 Pittsburgh, No. 11 Syracuse, and No. 14 Louisville in succession. Five days, five games, five wins, one Big East championship.
The run landed Connecticut a three seed, up from the five that Joe Lunardi projected before the Big East Tournament. After smooth sailing through Bucknell and Cincinnati, UConn held off tough tests from big time teams San Diego State and Arizona to advance to the Final Four for the second time in three years and fourth overall.
UConn is led by first team AP All-American Kemba Walker, but if there is one thing we have learned in March, its that this team is no longer simply "The Kemba Show." Jeremy Lamb has been inhumane at times during this nine-game winning streak, recording 24 points in the Sweet 16 followed by 19 in the Elite Eight. Roscoe Smith was the guy in the first round, scoring 17 against Bucknell. Alex Oriakhi has been a beast down low for the Huskies.
Oriakhi may be the X-factor against Kentucky. If he can shut down Josh Harrellson, UConn will have a big advantage. One thing the Huskies are really good at is getting teams to foul. That could prove a big mismatch for Kentucky if Oriakhi can put the senior on the bench with foul trouble.
Kemba Walker against Brandon Knight will be a great match-up. Two of the premier players in the nation going head to head, again. Walker was off against Arizona, but it is seldom, very seldom, that Kemba Walker has two bad games in a row,especially since he is known to rise to the occasion in bigger games.
Knight also has his stars around him. The freshman is helped by fellow freshmen Doron Lamb and Terrence Jones. Obviously Harrellson will be key and DeAngre Liggins is averaging close to 10 points a game as well.
Its a battle of two great coaches: Jim Calhoun and John Calipari, the leaders of two great and prestigious programs. Its a rematch of the 2010 Maui Invitational Championship earlier this season, won by the Huskies. This is going to be an amazing, back and forth game.
It's unfortunate they had to be on the same side of the bracket because this should be the championship game. Both teams are very young. UConn has freshman stars Jeremy Lamb, Roscoe Smith, and Shabazz Napier. Kentucky has Brandon Knight, Terrence Jones, and Doron Lamb.
These teams and these players will collide often in the future and will certainly be two of the best teams. I would not be surprised if this is not the last time in the next two or three years that UConn and Kentucky meet in the Final Four.
In the end, I think UConn goes through. Kemba playing lights out and now having a supporting cast is a big boost. There is a little Final Four experience on this team in Walker and Donnell Beverly, who will certainly have the drive to win a title as they both prepare to graduate in May along with Charles Okwandu.
A couple of big keys for UConn are their ability to get out in transition quickly and also their ability to put key players on the bench with foul trouble. They did it to Kawhi Leonard and Derrick Williams in Anaheim, and it proved crucial to their success. Calhoun will have his team in the right mind to take this game.
Butler vs. Connecticut: Huskies Shock the World and Lift the Trophy
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Jim Calhoun says this is one of his favorite teams he has ever coached. They are energetic, fun, and all about winning.
They have been winning a lot lately.
Both teams will be coming off epic battles in what I expect to be one of the most competitive semifinal rounds in a long time. We could see overtime in at least one game.
UConn-Butler is my pick for the Final and I expect it to be another thriller.
In the end, UConn has Kemba Walker and more drive to win than anybody in the nation.
As the All-American said on CBS on Sunday when asked about fatigue during the Big East, "of course we get tired, but all we care about is winning."
UConn will stop at nothing to win their third national championship. For this group of young men, most only 18 or 19 years old, they deserve nothing less than a title. The way they fought through the Big East this year, then at MSG, and now in the NCAA Tournament, they have exceeded all expectations and silenced all the critics, except Doug Gottleib.
With Kemba Walker as well as a future All-American in Jeremy Lamb and the two-time national champion coach Jim Calhoun, you have to give UConn the advantage.
This is going to be a close one. Butler are incredible, like I said, but UConn is as talented, more battle-tested, and they have the best player and coach remaining in the tournament.
There is going to be a new banner on the men's basketball side at Gampel Pavilion after this weekend is over.
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