How'd you do on your bracket? I was doing so well. Then Louisville lost in the Sweet 16 and two of my other three Final Four teams bowed out in the Elite Eight. As a result, I only got one of the four right...and that would be the one team everybody had, No. 1 overall seed Florida. But at least I still have my National Champion.
It's not like any of the other three teams in Dallas don't belong there, though. Let's start with Kentucky. This isn't an 8-seed. This is the team that was the preseason No. 1. And the Wildcats had by far the toughest road. They had to beat three of last year's Final Four teams (Wichita State, Louisville, Michigan), in a row, to get to the Final Four. In fact, should Kentucky beat Wisconsin, they'll have played five consecutive NCAA Tournament games against five of the other seven Final Four teams from the last two years.
Meanwhile, for the Wildcats' opponent, this is the culmination of a decade where they've been among the elite teams in college basketball. Yet, for all that success, this is Wisconsin's first Final Four under Bo Ryan. They're almost the forgotten team of the Big Ten, so it's nice to see them as the only one standing. The Big Ten, of course, had a chance to become just the second conference in history to land three teams in the Final Four in the same season. But with Michigan and Michigan State both going down on Sunday, the Badgers will be carrying the banner for the Big Ten in Dallas. And it's very well earned.
Then there's UConn. As soon as they won their second round game to advance to the Garden, I knew this team was going to the Final Four. UConn playing a Regional at Madison Square Garden was almost unfair. I was at the Michigan State game, and the Garden was at least 70 percent blue. But it was more than that. UConn isn't just comfortable at the Garden. They think of it as almost a second home. And since they're (sadly) not in the Big East anymore, they're never going to have the chance to win something significant at the Garden again. They weren't going home empty-handed. I also had a feeling Shabazz Napier was going to go all Kemba Walker on poor Iowa State and Michigan State, and it turns out that's exactly what happened.
However, the Final Four isn't at Madison Square Garden. UConn made history as the first No. 7 seed to make the Final Four in a 64-team tournament, but they're no match for Florida. Yes, the Huskies were the last team to beat the Gators. But that's why I don't think they're going to win. Florida's a much better team now than they were in early December, and they don't forget that loss. They're not gonna lose to UConn again, especially with the season on the line.
I think we're going to have an all-SEC final, which is quite a feat for a conference that only put three teams in the tournament. Florida's the best team, and Kentucky's playing the best. That's going to be a great game between Kentucky and Wisconsin, but the Wildcats are simply too talented. I'd be very surprised if they didn't win that semi. But they won't beat Florida in the final. Sure, they almost beat them in the SEC Championship Game. This is different, though. Florida's simply too good. Even for Kentucky. I stand by my pick for the National Champion.
On the women's side, my bracket's in much better shape. Granted, it wasn't hard to pick UConn, Notre Dame and Stanford. But Maryland knocked out Louisville on the Cardinals' home floor in the Elite Eight, so I ended up with three instead of four.
All season, people have been looking forward to that UConn-Notre Dame National Championship Game, and we're one game away from the showdown between the two undefeateds. But that's no longer the certainty it once seemed. Notre Dame's Natalie Achonwa tore her ACL against Baylor in the regional final, making the Fighting Irish susceptible to an upset from a very good Maryland team that pulled off upsets of both Tennessee and Louisville (on the Cardinals' home floor) in the regional. They only played once in the regular season...and Maryland gave Notre Dame its closest game of anybody. Maryland's definitely capable of pulling off another upset, but I think Notre Dame will still find a way to get it done. Even without Achonwa.
The other semi pits the other team in pursuit of perfection against a team that always plays it well. Stanford is very similar to UConn, which is why they prove to be such a tough matchup for the Huskies. And Stanford's the one opponent that actually has a post player that can matchup against Breana Stewart. Chiney Ogumwike is capable of winning a game by herself. Not against UConn, but against other teams. If they were playing anyone else, I'd like Stanford's chances much better. Unfortunately, they drew UConn. The Huskies are undefeated for a reason.
So, we'll get our dream final. UConn vs. Notre Dame. Of course, they were in the same conference until this year, so this is simply the renewal of their great rivalry. And two undefeated teams playing for the National Championship seems almost too good to be true. Notre Dame is eager to avenge that loss to UConn in last year's Final Four, but this is where the loss of Achonwa is really going to hurt. If she were healthy, Notre Dame would have a tough time, but would be much more capable of pulling off the upset. But without her, UConn is simply going to dominate inside. The Huskies are the better team. And they'll once again do something that should be hard, yet has become commonplace for them...go undefeated and win the National Championship. (Also, one interesting note: this is the third time UConn is in both Final Fours, and the women won the national title both previous times, including the unprecedented double championship in 2004.)
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