By Alex Kiritsy
Columnist
After three weeks of nail biters, buzzer beaters, and upsets, four teams have made it to the most coveted list in college basketball: the Final Four.
For those who don’t know, the Final Four consists of four teams that have advanced out of their respective regions by winning four straight games. Like most years, all of the teams that have made this Final Four have had to win a couple of close games and have had to prove their legitimacy with late game heroics. With these late game heroics come fantastic individual performances – here are some to look out for this weekend:
#1 Kentucky vs. #1 Wisconsin: This is the game for which everyone has been waiting. Kentucky has not lost a single game all season and has continued its blistering streak into the NCAA tournament with relative ease. The only hiccup they have had in the tournament was against a smart and talented Notre Dame team that almost pulled off an amazing upset in what had the highest TV rating for a single game in tournament history.
However, Wisconsin has even more firepower than Notre Dame. The Badgers have had many close games throughout the tournament, but have shown that if they are winning with less than four minutes left in the game, they are almost impossible to beat. While Kentucky is a clear favorite, if Wisconsin is patient on offense and keeps the tempo of the game slow, they have a great chance at moving on to the Championship Game.
Matchups to Watch:
Frank Kaminsky vs. Karl Towns Jr.: NBA scouts will be drooling over this matchup as Karl Towns is a top three pick and Frank Kaminsky is a solid lottery pick. If Kaminsky can draw Towns out to the three point line, it will take Towns out of his comfort zone of blocking anyone that comes into the paint. While it will be hard to stop the sensational freshman in Towns, if Kaminsky can stay out of foul trouble, his seven-foot frame will be enough to keep Towns in check.
Sam Dekker vs. Trey Lyles: Sam Dekker has been the key to Wisconsin’s success in the tournament. If he can play as well as he has been, it’s going to be a close game. However, Trey Lyles is one of the hidden gems on this absolutely loaded Kentucky team. Lyles is a solid defender that always seems to give Kentucky a bucket right when they need it. If Wisconsin wants to win, Dekker needs to dominate this matchup.
Prediction: Wisconsin’s big men play exceptionally well and keep them in the game, but Kentucky’s elite guards and deep bench wear down the Badgers.
-Kentucky 71 Wisconsin 67
#1 Duke vs. #7 Michigan State: The Duke Blue Devils have taken care of business in the tournament. A lot of people questioned whether Duke would be able to consistently defend elite teams. Duke addressed these naysayers by cruising through #4 Utah and #2 Gonzaga. On the other hand, Michigan State has had to win a lot of close games to get to this point, including beating #2 Virginia, #3 Oklahoma, and #4 Louisville. It is certainly not a fluke that Michigan State has made it to the Final Four, but they are definitely an underdog against this talented Blue Devil team.
Matchups to Watch:
Jahlil Okafor vs. Matt Costello/Brandon Dawson: Jahlil Okafor has been one of the best players in college basketball this year. He is averaging 17 points and almost nine rebounds a game playing in the most difficult conference in the country. No one man can stop Okafor, so it will take great team defense and great individual defense by Matt Costello or Brandon Dawson in order to hold this future top three pick in check. We already know that Okafor will win this matchup, but it’s all about by how much he wins this matchup. If the Spartans can hold Okafor to 15 points or less, they have a good shot at pulling off the upset.
Quinn Cook vs. Travis Trice: Quinn Cook has given the Blue Devils the necessary senior leadership to make it to the Final Four, especially considering three out of the starting five Duke players are freshmen. He is averaging 15 PPG as well as shooting 40% from three point land this season. However, Cook will have a challenging matchup against one of the hottest guards in college basketball: Travis Trice. Trice has hit key shots for the Spartans in every tournament game so far and will definitely have to get hot in order to pull off this upset.
Prediction: While Michigan State’s defense has been superb throughout the tournament, this Duke team is extremely talented on offense and poses mismatches everywhere.
-Duke 81 Michigan State 69
Championship Game Prediction: If Duke and Kentucky meet in the Championship Game, it will feature some of the best freshman to ever play for each of these respective programs. While Duke’s freshman trio of Justise Winslow, Tyus Jones, and Jahlil Okafor have proven to be clutch all season, they will be outnumbered by the exceptionally talented freshman on Kentucky, led by Karl Towns Jr.
-Kentucky 78 Duke 71
Player of the Game: Karl Towns Jr.
