Kentucky has greatest chance to win Final Four tournament

As the NCAA tournament dwindles down to four, the champion is coming into focus. At the end of all this March Madness, the victor is going to be the favorite and #1 seeded, Kentucky Wildcats. Through the tournament, Kentucky has not had a real competition, easily winning the Southern region by scores of 81-66 against Western Kentucky, 87-71 against Iowa State,102-90 against Indiana, and 82-70 against Baylor. Kentucky is 36-2 this season and seems unbeatable. In the semi-final round, Kentucky takes on the #4 seeded Louisville from the Western region. Last time they faced Louisville on New Years Eve, Kentucky won by a score of 69-62. It looks as if this time it is going to be a repeat.

Freshman forward Anthony Davis has been a big threat for other teams. This season he has made 202 field goals and is averaging 14.3 points per game. He has been the team’s top scorer. Another key player is sophomore guard Doron Lamb. Lamb has sunk 73 three pointers this year and is averaging 13.6 points per game. If Kentucky continues to play the way that they are playing, they should be able to win it all.

Final Four favorite: UConn

Kemba Walker / Wikimedia Commons

Going into the Final Four, UConn stands out as the favorite to emerge as the champions. By virtue of winning the Big East Tournament, they gained valuable experience of playing in "big game" situations. In the Big East Tournament, UConn defeated DePaul, Georgetown, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Louisville. The Huskies accomplished that feat in five consecutive days. Their victory in the Big East Tournament is possibly even more daunting than what they will face in the NCAA tournament finals.

The Huskies are the hottest team in college basketball, winning eight straight tournament games including their Big East Championship run, giving them much needed momentum as they enter the Final Four.

UConn features the best individual player remaining in the tournament, Kemba Walker. NCAA tournament games so often come down to the last possession and Walker has proven time after time that he can come through in the clutch. Walker not only has the ability to create his own shot, he can also break down the defense and get his teammates open looks.

With a wide open Final Four and no team standing out as the most talented, UConn’s tournament experience and Kemba Walker’s star power may give them the edge needed to win the Final Four and the championship.

Matthew's NCAA Bracket

St. John's up and down season ends in NCAA birth

Red Storm Coach Steve Lavin / Eric Chan

The 2010-11 season for the St. Johns Red Storm basketball team was a roller coaster ride. In the end the Red Storm earned their NCAA tournament birth for the first time since 2002. In the preseason coaches poll St. Johns did not receive even a single vote for the top 25.

The St. Johns basketball team got off to a rocky start with disappointing losses to the likes of St. Mary’s, Fordham and St. Bonaventure. However, under the guidance of coaching icon Steve Lavin, the Red Storm would turn it around. In the middle of the season the Red Storm encountered a rough patch in their schedule facing eight straight top 25 teams. As expected, St. Johns went only 2-5 in the first 7 of those games. But in the final game of the stretch, they blew out Duke, ranked 3rd in the country at the time. This game sparked the team to go 9-2 for the remainder of the season including impressive victories over then No. 4-ranked Pittsburgh, No. 10-ranked Cincinnati and No.15-ranked Villanova. The Red Storm ranked 17th in the coaches poll to going into the Big East Tournament.

Senior guard Dwight Hardy was the catalyst of the Red Storm. He came up big when it counted the most, including his 26 points in the upset of Duke and a season high of 34 against Villanova. In the Big East tournament, St. Johns had a controversial win over Rutgers in the first round and then fought hard in the second round against Syracuse, but came up short.

St. John's earned a 6th seed in the NCAA tournament. It appears as if St.Johns has been positioned in a portion of the bracket where they could make a run in the tournament. After a first round match up against 11th seeded Gonzaga, potential opponents for the Red Storm are Jimmer Fredette (BYU), 2nd seed Florida, 1st seed Big East rival Pittsburgh, who they have already beaten this season. All of these games will be a challenge for St. John's, but if they can play tough defense as they did in their big wins they have a chance to go deep in the tournament.