Predictions!
Growing up I used to love Fridays: the start of the weekend, a little bit of Urkel, nothing to do but sleep in the next day. Thanks to a child and a retail job, Friday has become pretty much like every other day of the week. The only reason I mention this is because this is the first Friday I've had off in more than a year, and I forgot how liberating it is!
Today's Friday, which means tomorrow's Saturday, which means... wait for it... the Final Four! Nice electic mix we've got--the diminutive but tough Villanova Wildcats; the scrappy Michigan State Spartans; the high-flying North Carolina Tar Heels, and the extremely balanced Connecticut Huskies. Good Final Four.
Anyway, I don't want to be bogged down behind a computer all day, so here we go...
Villanova/North Carolina: The average person probably looks at this game and assumes that the Tar Heels are going to drop the hammer early, leaving the announcers with nothing to do but exchange anecdotes about the old days. To be honest, the average person might be right. Yes, Villanova does create some match-up problems on the perimeter since there are so many guys-- Scottie Reynolds, Reggie Redding, Corey Fisher, even Dante Cunningham--that can break defenders down off the dribble, and UNC has never been accused of being a great team on the defensive end. And, yes, I saw part of the UCLA/'Nova game, the part where everytime someone went to the rim they got hammered like frat boys. All that being said, it's not happening. Ty Lawson is... let me see... I have to channel my inner Kevin Harlan but in an original way... a human guerilla... okay that didn't come out too well... Ty Lawson is playing better basketball than any other point guard not in the NBA right now, especially considering that his turf toe is only about 80%. Tyler Hansbrough has been solid in the tournament, and I think the fact that he hasn't won a title yet in his otherwise stellar career will continue to drive him. If you don't buy that, then defensively who is there to stop him on the other end? Overlooked is Wayne Ellington, who outside of last game against Oklahoma has been putting up ridiculous shooting numbers the past month of the season. Carolina has too much firepower for 'Nova, and I think it'll be over by the first TV time-out of the first half. Heels by 10 plus.
Michigan State/Connecticut: I have to admit that I've seen Michigan State play precisely three times this season, and in two of those games they looked ridiculously out-classed. They got destroyed by Maryland (!!!) on Thanksgiving (albeit without Goran Suton) and shelacked against Carolina at Ford Field in which I recall Kalin Lucas looking like the fifth best point guard on the floor. Of course, the third time was in the regional semi-finals where they had to overcome a large deficit to unseat the reigning national champion Kansas Jayhawks. They're probably a team more reflective of the latter game, but the Huskies, at this moment, have probably looked the best and most consistent throughout the season. If you were building a team, ideally you'd want a big man who can alter shots and score down low (Hasheem Thabeet); a point guard who can manage the game and keep defenders honest at the same time (A.J. Price); solid glue guys who do the dirty work to protect their stars (Jeff Adrien, Stanley Robinson), and a wild card off the bench who can shake things up (Kemba Walker). Throw in a Twittering alumnus (Charlie Villanueva) and you've got a team that has to be the odds on favorite to win it. However, stranger things have happened, and it'll be interesting to see how Thabeet matches up with Suton. If Suton can draw Hash away from the rim with the threat of his perimeter jumper, things can get interesting, and even if he can't, it's not like the Spartans can't bang on the boards, too. The Spartans led the nation in rebounding margin, outrebounding their opponents by almost 10 a game. I just think, similar to the UNC/'Nova game, UConn has too much for Michigan State, even if the stands are packed with more green than Bank of America safety deposit boxes. I guess I won't be winning this pool. Huskies by eight or more.
Let the madness continue...
Today's Friday, which means tomorrow's Saturday, which means... wait for it... the Final Four! Nice electic mix we've got--the diminutive but tough Villanova Wildcats; the scrappy Michigan State Spartans; the high-flying North Carolina Tar Heels, and the extremely balanced Connecticut Huskies. Good Final Four.
Anyway, I don't want to be bogged down behind a computer all day, so here we go...
Villanova/North Carolina: The average person probably looks at this game and assumes that the Tar Heels are going to drop the hammer early, leaving the announcers with nothing to do but exchange anecdotes about the old days. To be honest, the average person might be right. Yes, Villanova does create some match-up problems on the perimeter since there are so many guys-- Scottie Reynolds, Reggie Redding, Corey Fisher, even Dante Cunningham--that can break defenders down off the dribble, and UNC has never been accused of being a great team on the defensive end. And, yes, I saw part of the UCLA/'Nova game, the part where everytime someone went to the rim they got hammered like frat boys. All that being said, it's not happening. Ty Lawson is... let me see... I have to channel my inner Kevin Harlan but in an original way... a human guerilla... okay that didn't come out too well... Ty Lawson is playing better basketball than any other point guard not in the NBA right now, especially considering that his turf toe is only about 80%. Tyler Hansbrough has been solid in the tournament, and I think the fact that he hasn't won a title yet in his otherwise stellar career will continue to drive him. If you don't buy that, then defensively who is there to stop him on the other end? Overlooked is Wayne Ellington, who outside of last game against Oklahoma has been putting up ridiculous shooting numbers the past month of the season. Carolina has too much firepower for 'Nova, and I think it'll be over by the first TV time-out of the first half. Heels by 10 plus.
Michigan State/Connecticut: I have to admit that I've seen Michigan State play precisely three times this season, and in two of those games they looked ridiculously out-classed. They got destroyed by Maryland (!!!) on Thanksgiving (albeit without Goran Suton) and shelacked against Carolina at Ford Field in which I recall Kalin Lucas looking like the fifth best point guard on the floor. Of course, the third time was in the regional semi-finals where they had to overcome a large deficit to unseat the reigning national champion Kansas Jayhawks. They're probably a team more reflective of the latter game, but the Huskies, at this moment, have probably looked the best and most consistent throughout the season. If you were building a team, ideally you'd want a big man who can alter shots and score down low (Hasheem Thabeet); a point guard who can manage the game and keep defenders honest at the same time (A.J. Price); solid glue guys who do the dirty work to protect their stars (Jeff Adrien, Stanley Robinson), and a wild card off the bench who can shake things up (Kemba Walker). Throw in a Twittering alumnus (Charlie Villanueva) and you've got a team that has to be the odds on favorite to win it. However, stranger things have happened, and it'll be interesting to see how Thabeet matches up with Suton. If Suton can draw Hash away from the rim with the threat of his perimeter jumper, things can get interesting, and even if he can't, it's not like the Spartans can't bang on the boards, too. The Spartans led the nation in rebounding margin, outrebounding their opponents by almost 10 a game. I just think, similar to the UNC/'Nova game, UConn has too much for Michigan State, even if the stands are packed with more green than Bank of America safety deposit boxes. I guess I won't be winning this pool. Huskies by eight or more.
Let the madness continue...
posted by Justin Cherot @ 10:33 AM
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