How hideous did your bracket turn out? It’s alright, yours is not the only one with a cluster of incorrect picks. Picking Florida, Wisconsin, Connecticut and Kentucky as this year’s Final Four representatives just didn’t seem practical on Selection Sunday.
After so many upsets and so much excitement, the 2014 NCAA tournament is near its conclusion and a new champion is preparing to cut down the nets. On April 5, these four teams will square off to determine who will advance to the March Madness finals.
The Final Four matchups are Kentucky vs. Wisconsin and UConn vs. Florida. The winners of those two games will play for all the marbles.
Kentucky has been fun to watch during the tournament. With Wichita State, Louisville and Michigan in their region, the Wildcats have had the toughest road to the Final Four. They are a team whose starting lineup consists of all freshmen. The Wildcats continue to mature every time they step onto the court.
On their way to the Final Four the Wildcats have beat three Final Four teams from the previous season. That’s an impressive feat for a team full of freshman and underclassmen.
The Wisconsin Badgers are a very strong team; it is no fluke that they have made it this far in the tournament. The Badgers fought through a lot of hardships to make it to the Final Four. When the seeds were released, Wisconsin was considered by many the worst two-seed in the tournament.
Frank Kaminsky gives Wisconsin its best chance to get past the Wildcats Saturday and they will need their seven-footer to play near-perfect to get the win. Other than Kaminsky, the Badgers lack a true second option to help them get past Kentucky and advance to the National Championship. I like Kentucky to win and advance to the National Championship.
Florida has looked like the best team in the nation all year long. They entered the tournament as the number one overall seed. What makes the Gators so good is their depth and discipline. Florida is considered the best defensive team in the country which leads to a lot of turnovers.
The Huskies will have to play perfect team basketball to get the W Saturday. The Gators have a leader that seems to have ice water in his veins: Scottie Wilbekin. Wilbekin can control the entire floor on both sides of the ball; he’ll be a big reason the Gators get past the Connecticut Huskies in a game that might come down to the final shot.
UConn has the hottest player playing the best basketball of the tournament in Shabazz Napier. Napier gives his team a chance to pull off the upset. This UConn team is coming in with confidence as they already have a win over Florida, all be it the Gators weren’t at 100 percent for that game. The Huskies won that game because Napier was determined to win in the final seconds.
He’s only gotten better now. Anything seems possible for UConn with the senior guard on the floor. At the end of the day, Florida’s defense will be too stout and end Napier’s and the Huskies’ season to cut down the nets and be crowned NCAA Champions.
