A Perfect Final Four?

A Perfect Final Four

OK, I will acknowledge something off the bat, I am not sure any Final Four is 100% perfect, but from taking a look at this year’s field, each and every team offers a unique storyline that will make this one of the more interesting Final Fours in my opinion.

Duke (The team everyone loves to hate)

As soon as the field was released two weeks ago, I immediately got a text and a facebook message that Duke was being gift-wrapped a Final Four with all the teams that were placed in their regions. Now, I do agree that Duke’s field may have been the weakest of the group; however, a team still has to go out and win their games. Remember when everyone said Kansas was given a tough field with having to deal with Ohio State, Georgetown, Maryland, Michigan State, etc? Well, they did not even get by Northern Iowa. So, Duke still had to win their games, and they knocked off teams from the Pac 10, Big 10, and Big 12 to earn their 12th Final Four under Coach K. Now, I know there is a lot of Duke Haters who hate seeing them succeed, but one must note that Duke has not been in a Final Four since 2004 (an eternity for them) and have not won The National Championship since 2001. Heck, Duke has only won one National Title since 1992. So, having Duke in the field adds a little more spice, and The Final Four could always use a little more spice. Baylor’s a nice story (considering where they came from), but they aren’t quite as exciting to watch as The Dukies.

West Virginia (Bob Huggins shot at a title)

For Bob Huggins, this is his second final four appearance (1992 Cincinnati). However, this time around, Huggins is leading his alma mater and the team he played for to Indianapolis for a shot at the title. Huggins has done a tremendous job coaching the Mountaineers this year in leading West Virginia to their First Final Four since 1959, especially since the team lost starting Point Guard Truck Bryant to injury during a practice right before The Sweet 16. His decision to play a 1-3-1 zone against Kentucky worked perfectly, and led to the upset of the considered tourney favorite once Kansas was dethroned in the second round. This may not be Huggins best team ever, as his 2000 team with the ill-fated injury of Kenyon Martin was probably the best; however, this is his toughest team, and there would be nothing sweeter for Huggins then to lead his alma-mater to The National Championship.

Michigan State (The team that Duke Haters probably need to hate more)

With all the hate out there for Duke, I wonder where all the hate is for Michigan State. Did you know this is the 6th Final Four appearance in the last 12 years for Tom Izzo and Michigan State? That’s one final four appearance every two years. That’s pretty damn good, considering how easy it is for a team to play a bad game and get run out of the NCAA Tournament. Heck, that’s pretty good considering how tough it has been for some NCAA teams out there to even MAKE the tournament lately (uhh, Nebraska, hello?) Izzo again has showed why he is a genius this tournament as he was able to lead The Spartans to The Final Four without their star Point Guard Kalin Lucas, who was injured during their 2nd round game against Maryland. Had Michigan State been able to cash in more than one title during this run, perhaps they would get that Duke hate, but for now, they’ll get all cheers should they face Duke on Monday Night.

Butler (The host school)

Never in the history of the NCAA Tournament has the host school reached the Final Four until this year. Now, some people may try to drop that Cinderella story on Butler; however, this is no Cinderella story. Butler earned a #5 seed in this year’s tournament, posting quality non-conference wins and running through The Horizon League. George Mason on the other hand snuck into the tournament as an 11 seed, gaining one of the last at-large spots available. This team deserves to be there and it would not be a surprise to anyone at this point to see Butler playing for it all, just 7 miles from their home arena on Monday Night. Should they get to Monday Night and should they win, it would mark the first time a team outside a power conference won the title since UNLV in 1990. If they do so, they would score wins against the SEC, Big 12, Big Ten, and either The Big East or ACC along the way. Look for a decent home court advantage in terms of crowd support for The Bulldogs this weekend.

Predictions

Well, I’ve acknowledged to many people I stink at making predictions (I picked Ohio State, Kansas State, Kentucky, and Baylor to make it before last weekend); however, I will give it a shot.

I’ll take Michigan State over Butler in a close game, with Michigan State pulling away at the end.

I’ll take Duke, because I think they’ll shoot and defend the perimeter better than Kentucky did against West Virginia.

And on Monday Night…..well, I’ll wait for the actual matchup to make that prediction….