2008 Final Four Matchups Breakdown
The Elite of March Madness: North Carolina; Kansas; Memphis; UCLA
A breakdown of the 2008 Final Four matchups and what's at stake for each team.
For the first time in NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament history, four No. 1 seeds have reached the Final Four, which should make for some exciting games for fans to watch.
The 35-3 UCLA Bruins face off against the 37-1 Memphis Tigers (whose only loss came during the season against Tennessee) in an evenly matched bout between two athletic lineups. The Bruins are led by frosh big man Kevin Love, whose 6-10 270-pound frame makes him a serious threat along with his incredible fundamentals on the low block, as well as his ability to shoot the three pointer. He's also an able defender and has averaged more than four blocks per game in the tournament. He'll match up against Memphis' Joey Dorsey, who's known for his defense on the block. At 6-9 265lbs, Dorsey should be a good test for Love.
However, the biggest intrigue of this matchup might be in the teams' backcourt players. UCLA runs with the lightning-quick Darren Collison and the athletic Russell Westbrook. Still, despite averaging a combined 27.3 ppg on the season (Collison also shot 53% from beyond the arc), they've struggled in some games of the tournament. Against Western Kentucky, Collison shot just 1-6 for 4 points. In UCLA's two-point victory against Texas A&M, Westbrook scored just 5 points off 2-9 shooting. Against Mississippi Valley State, despite a blowout victory (70-29), the two combined for just 14 points in 26 minutes (Westbrook) and 23 minutes (Collison) respectively.
Meanwhile, Memphis' backcourt of freshman phenom Derrick Rose and the steady junior Chris Douglas-Roberts, has dominated opponents. Douglas-Roberts has averaged 22.5 ppg in the tournament so far, and Rose has astounded with a 20.5 ppg average to go along with 6.0 rbpg and 6.0 apg. He's also shooting an amazing 78% from the field in the tournament. The Bruins will have their hands full with these two.
The 36-2 North C face off against the 35-3 Kansas Jayhawks. North Carolina was No. 1 overall going into the tournament and hasn't disappointed so far by defeating its opponents by an average 25.5 points. Louisville came the closest to defeating them, but still lost by 10 points.
The Heels are led by big man Tyler Hansborough, who's averaged 21.0 ppg and 9.5 rbpg in the tournament so far. Their back court of Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington has also been fun to watch. Lawson's averaged 15.8 ppg and 5.0 apg in the tournament, while Ellington's added 15.5 ppg. North Carolina's also had the advantage of depth, especially with versatile forward Danny Green coming off the bench. He's averaged 9.0 ppg and just under five boards per game.
The Kansas Jayhawks got a big scare against Davidson in the Elite Eight, narrowly escaping by just two points (59-57). Davidson's star Stephon Curry scored his lowest total in the tournament (25 points) and was held to just 9-25 shooting. Still, Kansas should have some concerns with North Carolina as its next opponent.
Led by the backcourt of Brandon Rush and Mario Chalmers, Kansas might be the most balanced team on paper of the final four teams. Rush has averaged 14.5 ppg and 5.6 rbpg, while Chalmers has averaged 15.0 ppg. Forward Darrell Arthur, who averaged 12.7 ppg and 6.1 rbpg during the season, has disappointed by averaging only 10.0 ppg and 5.0 rbpg. He'll have his hands full with Hansborough.
Predictions
UCLA vs Memphis match up very well, which suggests that this won't be a game to miss. However, despite Memphis blowing out more teams, they still have a history of poor free throw shooting which could cost them. Also, UCLA has been in this position before and experience should help them edge out the Tigers.
North Carolina will be too much for Kansas to handle. This game won't be close.
