Finally we have gone through the madness of March in 2007 to identify the four elite teams of college basketball - Georgetown, Ohio State, UCLA and Florida. Though Memphis upsetting OSU and Kansas getting past UCLA were picks in this corner, the slate has gone otherwise as predicted.
Now to the turning away - who will go home empty-handed on Saturday, and who will emerge from Monday April 2nd as the 2007 NCAA Men's Basketball champion. Here's a brief breakdown of Saturday's Final Four:
Georgetown and Ohio State will be a nail biter to the end. The emergence of Hibbert as a Mutombo-like rejector under the basket will be a huge disincentive for the Buckeye guards that love to dribble-drive. But Greg Oden is more than a match for Hibbert on the other end, so look for these two to neutralize each other. In the end, the guard play of Georgetown will come up just ever-so-short against the skill and fire of Lewis, Conley and company. They pulled a rabbit out of their hat against Xavier, and they'll do it again here: OSU 71 Georgetown 70.
UCLA is better than this writer and others have given them credit for. Arron Affalo, just today named a first-team All-American, has taken up the scoring slack left by Justin Farmar's early departure (what Howland wouldn't have given to have had him this year, eh?), and Darren Collison has added speed and great distribution to the mix. One might wish to tease an upset here, but Florida, with three potential NBA stars, and more who will make pro rosters, is sickly loaded with talent and determination to repeat.
Finally we get our dream match-up of Florida and OSU. Forget the early season meeting - that was more of an exhibition with little stakes on the table. Here, Oden, Noah and Horford will show why they are the best post players on the same court in college ball since Ewing and Olajawon hooked horns in '84. The guards and the small forwards will make the split of a hair difference here, as Corey Brewer will go off for at least 20, and the Gators will repeat as the Kings of College Roundball, 86 - 83 in a game that is predicted here will fulfill or surpass every expectation.
The 2006-07 NCAA season has culminated in the exact pairing that experts would have predicted before the first tip back in November. Here’s hoping that college hoops junkies won’t be disappointed with the results.
