Final Four thoughts

Well, I guess I started this a bit late as far as the NCAA tournament is concerned but I will give my thoughts on the Final Four.

North Carolina vs. Kansas

As someone who had the Tar Heels as the top team all season long and picked them to win the tournament, this was definitely the game that scared me the most on their road to San Antonio. Kansas is perhaps the only team that will not attempt to slow the game down against UNC and has the talent to go along with it, allowing them to successfully run with the Heels for 40 minutes. The Jayhawks are athletic and long, a good defensive combination, and Chalmers and Robinson have perhaps the best chance of anyone left of containing Ty Lawson. Wayne Ellington could be in for a tough matchup with Brandon Rush who could be a key factor in contesting Ellington's jumpshots. Where Kansas will lose the game however is on the inside. Though Darrell Arthur and Darnell Jackson are good players, they did not give KU that much of an advantage on the inside against the undersized Davidson frontcourt, and that doesn't figure to get any better against Tyler Hansbrough (who should be national player of the yaer) and the rest of the UNC frontline including Deon Thompson and Alex Stepheson. The Tar Heels are the best rebounding team in the nation and that will certainly be what moves them into the championship game. Look for Lawson and Ellington to be somewhat neutralized on the scoring end (Lawson will get his assists), but Hansbrough will have a big game and lead UNC to the win.

North Carolina 88 Kansas 81

UCLA vs Memphis

I really did not think that Memphis would be here, but somehow they shot over 85% from the foul line and beat Texas on Sunday. They also proved to me that they are better than I thought overall. However that does not mean that they will beat UCLA on Saturday. I just don't think that there is one spot on the floor that Memphis has a real distinct advantage. Some might say that they do at the point or at the 2-guard spot, but Collison and Westbrook have proven to be a top backcourt, and if I were starting a college team with a point guard I would take Collison over anyone, including Rose. Though Rose is very impressive, the experience that Collison has having been to 2 Final Fours previously cannot be understated. Collison is also a much better shooter than Rose, as he shoots 52% from three point range, a great asset for a PG. UCLA also has enough depth on the inside to easily offset Joey Dorsey, Robert Dozier and the rest of the Memphis frontcourt. I could see Dorsey getting into early foul trouble and Kevin Love just dominating the game on the inside. Love can also force Dorsey, Dozier, Taggert and whoever else is on him outside with his three point range. Then of course if the game comes down to foul shooting, UCLA has a definite edge, shooting 73.5% from the line to Memphis' atrocious 60.7%. Collison will have the ball in his hands at the end of the game and he is nearly automatic at 87.4%.

UCLA 74 Memphis 69


Chris