Final Four Preview

Another year of basketball has come and gone with the Final Four is set again. We all made our picks, we all thought we knew who the best teams were, and we were all wrong. If you told me at the beginning of the year Loyola-Chicago was in the Final Four I’d call you a crazy person, because there was no way that would happen. But this is the wildest tournament we’ve ever seen, and the Ramblers have asserted themselves as a legitimate contender. Michigan was looked at as the fourth best team in the Big Ten until the conference tournament. Yet, they find themselves one game away from a national title appearance. Nova’s been considered the one elite team in the country all year, so it’s no surprise to see them make their way San Antonio but the other one seed here is Kansas, and no one thought they’d make it this far. Kansas was looked at as the one seed that would get knocked out in the Sweet 16 – not as a team that would knock off Duke and advance themselves into a position for a title.

Image from Nova Athletics

This wasn’t the final four that any of us expected, but the most exciting tournament we’ve seen in years gives a Final Four where anyone can advance and win; here’s what each team needs to do advance to the national title game:

Image from Time Sports News

Loyola-Chicago

Despite the constant Sister Jean (right) talk and networks neglecting to talk about the talent of this Ramblers team, Loyola deserves to be here. and they have the talent to advance. The Ramblers have five players scoring in double digits, making them one of the harder teams in the country to guard in the half court. The key for the Ramblers today will be to continue to make themselves that hard to guard. They’ve surrounded Krutwig with four shooters who can all put the ball on the floor and get to the rim. All tournament long we’ve seen this team spread their opponents out with their shooters, and then dice them up of the dribble once there opponents started closing out hard. Its hard to say whether or not they’ll be able to open things up on Michigan like they have on other teams because of Michigans length and athleticism. The other thing I think Loyola needs to do to win, is take Wagner out of the game. Despite popular opinion he’s realistically the third best player on Michigan’s team, but he is the man that this offense runs through. If the Ramblers can spread Michigan out on the offensive end, and force Wagner into taking some bad shots, Loyola and Sister Jean can keep on dancing.

Images from USA Today

Michigan

The obvious key for Michigan is to stay hot, key scoring the ball at a high rate, and play above average defense as they have been for roughly the last month. The formula to accomplishing those goals is to have Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman and Charles Matthews be the two best players on the court on both ends. Both have shown the  ability to take over games in the postseason. But if they want to win a National Title they’ll need to do it at the same time, and do it for the full length of the game. Wagner (right) has really struggled to put the ball in the basket at times recently, and Abdur-Rahkman and Matthews have been able to put this team on their backs and wheel them towards victory. If the duo can combine for 35-40 points, while continuing to effectively guard the opposing teams best perimeter players, then Michigan will be in a great position to advance to the National Title game.

Image from the Kansas City Star

Kansas

Kansas is the team that I think can deviate from their ideal game plan the most, and still walk away with a win. Obviously Devonté Graham is the face of this team, as he is the best player on this team, and Svi Mykhailiuk is their number two scoring option (both right). But both have been wildly inconsistent at times, and forced their teammates to do the heavy lifting (see the Elite 8 game against Duke for reference). Luckily they have three other starters like Malik Newman, Lagerald Vick, and Udoka Azubuike, who are all scoring over 12 a game. Kansas has the ability to let their 4th and 5th best players carry their team, and still get away with it. Because of this they have the ability to change their plan as the game progresses, making the keys for them to advance a little more obvious. They have to make their threes at a high rate, and push Nova off the three point line on the defensive end. Newman was the only guy hitting perimeter shots at decent clip against Duke, that simply won’t work against Nova. If Graham and Mykhailiuk contribute from behind the line then that pushes this team into a new level. Defensively, running Nova off the three point line is easier said than done. But if you can force them to have to play out of the paint, Villanova’s lack of size could really come back to bite them in the butt. All in all, the 3-point line will make it or break it for Kansas.

Featured Image from SI.com

Villanova

The key for Nova is to just play your game. The Wildcats have the best player in the country, and a plethora of top end talent all over the court. Brunson and Bridges will have mismatches through out this game purely because of their ability to score in various ways all over the court. Villanova’s been the best offensive team in the country all year because of their ability to play five guys that can shoot the three and put the ball on the floor. If they can continue to play this way they’ll be hard to knock out of the tournament. If the Wildcats hit their three’s at the high percentage clip they have year, they’ll force Kansas to close out harder and driving lanes will open up like Moses parting the Red Sea. Putting Udoka Azubuike would help Nova out in a big way as well, Kansas is a wildly different team on both ends with out him in the game. This is one of the worst defensive teams Nova has had in recent years, but their offensive ability cover up those holes really well. If they limit Kansas’ effectiveness from three and play their game offensively, Villanova will be in the National Title.

Jacob Sexton is a senior at UNCG, and is a diehard Gamecock fan. He is one of the most knowledgable basketball fans you’ll ever meet, and definitely the most opinionated. When he’s not complaining about the refs he’s telling anyone who listens how much he hates Clemson.