NCAA Final Four Preview
Four #1 Seeds Advance to Final Four for First Time
North Carolina, UCLA, Kansas, and Memphis make for intriguing Final Four confrontation.
For the first time in NCAA Tournament history all four number one seeds surface and will slug it out in the Final Four to determine an undisputed national champ. This has been one of the most exciting tournaments in recent memory, featuring the emergence of Davidson and phenom guard Stephen Curry. But now all the cinderella's have been washed out and it's time to seperate the champs from the chumps.
Despite their free throw woes, and lack of schedule strength, the Memphis Tigers have thrust their way through the Elite 8, which has been the end for the Tigers the in the past two tournaments. Behind coach John Calapari, the Tigers have shown the naysayers they are a legitimate contender with their athleticism and exceptional backcourt play from Derrick Rose and Chris Douglas-Roberts.
In addition, their free throw shooting has vastly improved over the past couple games, allowing them to ring up impressive victories over Michigan State and Texas. This weekend, they will face their toughest foe yet in the Pac-10 champion UCLA Bruins. Although the Tigers are a slight favorite, the Bruins have several Final Four veterans and our making their third straight appearance. The Bruins have been less than spectacular, but have found a way to win ugly and survive to this point.
Entering the tourney, the Bruins were seen by many members of the media as the favorite to win it all, but their sub-par performances through the tournament have put them in the underdog role for the first time all season. This one is too close to call, but the Tigers will need to make the game a high-scoring affair and contain gifted big man Kevin Love to make the championship.
The other Final Four matchup pits the North Carolina Tar-Heels against the Kansas Jayhawks. This is an exciting game with North Carolina Coach Roy Williams taking on his former project for a chance to play for the title. After last year's Elite 8 second half letdown against Georgetown, the Tar-Heels have been the most consistent and impressive team in the tournament, behind over-achiever, Tyler Hansborough and the return of guard Ty Lawson. They have probably played the toughest tournament schedule of all four finalists and have been the obvious superior team in each round.
The Jayhawks on the other hand, have had some battles in the trenches along the way. Kansas survived a gutsy performance by Davidson and stud guard Stephen Curry in the Elite 8, which can be looked at as either an advantage or disadvantage. Unlike the Jayhawks, the Tar-Heels have not been pushed to the limit in any tournament game, and could freeze up if the game is tight late. This has all the makings of a classic and the 2008 Final Four should be one for the ages.
