March Madness Final Four Preview

Raise your hand if your bracket is still in tact. Oh, thought so. If you didn't know why they call the NCAA basketball tournament March Madness before, well you certainly found out this year. There have been upsets in every round of the tournament thus far, and we've seen breakout stars shine on the biggest stages from every corner of this country. Despite all the madness, we have reached the culminating point of the tournament and are now down to the prestigious Final Four.

This year's Final Four features an interesting blend of teams with different playing styles, strengths, and weaknesses which will make for a couple of very exciting games this Saturday. The first matchup features No. 1 seed and tournament favorites Florida, and the Cinderella team seventh seeded Connecticut. Florida, who possesses one of the best defenses in the country, has had the easiest road to the Final Four drawing the University of Dayton in the elite Eight. The veteran team has yet to be pushed in this tournament, but the Huskies have the weapons to do just that. They're a great three-point shooting team, and they hold the wildcard in this matchup, senior captain Shabazz Napier who led his team to the final four by scoring 25 in a nail biter against Michigan State. If Napier can have another outstanding performance against Florida, it's possible that the Huskies can take this Cinderella run right to the Finals. However, Florida still comes into this game as the odds-on favorite, but it does stand to mention that one of just two losses suffered by the Gators this season came to none other than the Huskies back in December off a buzzer beater from Napier.

The second matchup features two of the elite teams in the country, but also two of the more different teams imaginable. Kentucky is big, they're physical, and incredibly strong on the offensive boards. Wisconsin, while not as tall and physical, beat you with their solid fundamentals, smart decision making, and they're incredible outside shooting. Kentucky is not the strongest shooting team, but they're the best offensive rebounding team in the country which allows them to still put up a lot of points. Kentucky is a lot more physical than Wisconsin, and will probably dominate them in the paint so the Badgers must rely on their three point shot to keep pace with the Wildcats offensively. Like UCONN in the first matchup, Wisconsin also holds the wildcard in this game, and that's 7-foot-tall center Frank Kaminsky. Kaminsky has been incredible throughout the tournament. His ability to shoot from the outside and score down low makes him nearly impossible to defend. Kentucky will have to construct a defensive strategy to contain Kaminsky, or their tournament run could end this Saturday.

Both of these games could realistically go either way, but this reporter is picking Florida and Kentucky to play for the championship on April 7.