After a season and tournament full of upsets, it is ironic that the Final Four is composed entirely of blue-bloods (yes, Villanova is one). However, it seems only fitting for Coach K’s final year. As much as I dislike Coach K and Duke, I’ve got to hand this one to them. They not only made the Final Four during K’s farewell tour, but they will be playing their biggest rivals for a spot in the National Championship game. The stakes don’t get higher than this.
North Carolina plays five guys and really five guys only. However, their five guys are all extremely skilled and play very unified. Keels, Love, Bacot, and Manich have all put up huge numbers throughout the tournament. The lack of depth is still an issue, because if someone gets in foul trouble, they will be in big trouble. This was the reason they almost blew a 25-point lead against Baylor in the round of 32.
Every time Duke lost to another bad team this season, I would get excited and pray for their downfall. Unfortunately, the team really put it together in the final month and is in the Final Four. Freshman Paolo Banchero has lived up to his number one recruiting ranking. Duke makes their free throws at the end of games and doesn’t make dumb turnovers.
Duke-North Carolina in the Final Four is already a huge story, but add in the extra factors of what we’ve had this year, it’s almost unthinkable. The fact that this is their first time EVER meeting in NCAA tournament history is crazy. Plus, Duke still can’t believe North Carolina spoiled K’s last home game. Hopefully the game itself can live up to the epic storylines surrounding it.
My Pick: Duke
As much as Villanova and Kansas are also powerhouses, their game has become an afterthought. Part of the reason is because Villanova’s second leading scorer, Justin Moore, tore his Achilles at the end of their game against Houston. Villanova does not have a deep bench, and many foresee his absence to be a problem for the Wildcats.
Kansas is being led by super senior transfer Remy Martin, from Arizona State. Martin dealt with injuries and there were rumors of issues with Bill Self, but it seems as if those are behind him. Martin has been Kansas’s star in March, even outshining his teammate Ochai Agbaji, who is a first team All-American.
I would not count Nova out so quickly though, because Collin Gillespie will not go down without a fight. The point guard is the heart and soul of the team and has already experienced a national championship when he was a freshman.
It will be interesting to see who wins the battle of speed in the game. Villanova has one of the least possessions per game in the country, while Kansas plays at a very fast tempo. If Nova is going to win without Moore they are going to have to make Kansas play at their pace.
My Pick: Villanova
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