So long Cinderella. You might exist in the Elite 8, but this is the Final Four. San Antonio. Tim Duncan's town. A Big Man town. No small wonder then that these Big Four are here for this Big Weekend.
Besides the story-lines and match-ups, what's the best part of all of this? A guarantee for three very competitive, very well-executed games. Another repeat of the 2004 UConn smash over 04 Georgia Tech? Not this year. 02 Maryland's stomp over surprise 02 Indiana? Nope. 06 Florida's destruction of 06 UCLA? Try again. 99 UConn over 99 Duke. Now we're talking.
These games will be good. They will not disappoint. Each of these four teams are dominant. They all won their respective conferences, some in more convincing fashion than others. They all boast their respective conference player of the year. There are no 97 Kentucky Wildcats here--good but missing stud Derek Anderson (pictured in 96 Final Four).
No, everyone of these teams is fully loaded. Each has their Derek Anderson: Collison (UCLA) is back, Rush (Kansas) is healthy, Ty Lawson (UNC) is back, and Everybody from 07 Memphis is back.They all have big-game, successful, and proven coaches. Roy Williams, Bill Self, John Calipari, and Ben Howland. It sounds like a Basketball Hall of Fame ticket. And they all have rich basketball tradition. There's no surprise team here. No one is "happy" to be here; "content" with this level of success.
Each of these teams want blood. They want a National Championship. UCLA does not even hang Final Four banners in Pauley Pavilion--third time's the charm, right? Ol' Roy wants number 2 at UNC, and number 1 with his recruits. Bill Self wants what Roy couldn't attain at KU--that championship. And Calipari wants that elusive title--what he couldn't quite get at Massachusetts, and what he hasn't quite competed for since.
So what gives? Not much, but something will. Three teams will leave feeling pretty bummed, but one of these four will leave the Lone Star State as the Lone Star, with all the glory and camaraderie that it carries. Quite frankly, there is not a clear favorite.
North Carolina Yes, Chapel Hill is the overall 1-seed and has simply pasted their region. Ty Lawson has bounced back and been nothing short of excellent. Hansbrough has been Hansbrough, the AP Player of the year. And the supporting cast has been as supportive and efficient as they have been all season. Yes that's you Danny Green, Wayne Ellington, Marcus Ginyard! But Louisville gave them a scare. The Cardinals proved that they are beatable. They did not have the pieces to pull it off, but they had the right idea--attack, attack, attack.
Kansas The Jayhawks can play that brand, but they have been up-and-down the entire tournament. They have looked utterly dominant at times, and generally confused and desperate at others. And they haven't played anyone better than an 8-seed! Davidson is good, but only 2 points worse than the best club in the Big 12!? A team that is big and bad and deep!? If not for Sausha Kaun stepping it up and playing like a Big 12 senior, Kansas would be back in Lawrence and Bill Self listening to Boone Pickens' sweeeet heart deal in Stillwater, Oklahoma. But they're not. They too are in San Antonio. And of these four teams, they present the biggest question mark. On one hand, they can lay the collective goose egg like they did against Davidson, or, on the other, they can turn it up a notch and play like a more balanced North Carolina. Up-and-down the floor. 7 guys with 10 or more points. But there's a certain lack of the killer instinct on this team. No one has the check-mate persona. No one has that swagger, that "I will beat you no matter what" on this team. Have any of Bill Self's teams?
Memphis I think Derrick Rose has it. Really do. Ask DJ Augustin. Does Rose want it? Can he smell it? Will he take your heart out? Yes, yes, and yes. This guy is special. He's big. He's fast. He's surrounded by good, big, and unselfish athletes. Ever since the Tennessee hiccup, they have been on the same page. Feisty, nasty. They destroyed Michigan State. Beat Texas bad. In Houston. What's that you say about free throws? Now the Tigers make them. Take a lot and make a lot. And Calipari let's them do what they do best--run, jump, shoot, and pass. It's improv, but this team does improv. "Whatever you are gonna be, be good at it." Right? Meet the 2008 Memphis Tigers. First team to remind anyone of the 1990 and 1991 UNLV Runnin' Rebels.
UCLA "Hi, my name is UCLA. I've been here the past three years, and laid down like a lamb to Florida. Gator Bait. Now we have our big buddy Kevin Love. We're lions this year."
But are they? Honestly, they barely got by Stanford in the PAC-10. Barely got by Cal. Barley won the PAC-10 tournament. And the Texas A&M game. And the Western Kentucky game to an extent. They let people hang around. They go ice cold for big, long, scary stretches. Their "experienced players" disappear. Collison. Shipp. Mbah a Moute. Sound like anyone familiar? In my mind, a lot like the 2008 Georgetown Hoyas. Good, experienced, been to the Final Four, big man, point guard, and "just" getting by. Well, that's not enough in this Final Four. Not against Memphis. Not against North Carolina. Not against Kansas. These folks steam-rolled their conferences (some of which were pretty tough) and blow people out. Totally blow 'em out. UCLA doesn't do that.
I abandon my previous picks...
Memphis beats UCLA 82-71. UNC beats Kansas 94-86.
Memphis beats UNC 78-75.
MOP Derrick Rose (What's up Carmelo!?)
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