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.

Kentucky's rise to former glory

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The Kentucky Wildcats have overtaken Ohio State and North Carolina to secure a spot in the Final Four of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. Despite losing the core of the team to the NBA draft, including John Wall, the team has arrived with practically a new team. Being matched up against UConn this Saturday will make the semi-final match intense. The two teams met before in November which resulted in a 17-point loss for Kentucky. If Kentucky continues to drop three-ponters like they did in the previous games, they will win the championship once again.
What is the secret to their recent success? Team chemistry. This was not the case in the start of the season when the team experienced many losses. During the tournament, the team to clicked and got the chemistry down. Sure UConn has beaten Kentucky before; however, this time point guard Brandon Knight believes there might be a different result. “The difference is we’ve got a lot better,” Knight said in an interview with The Daily Cougar. “We were still learning, we were still trying to figure out what we could do. We’ve got a lot better, but they’ve grown and become a better team too.”