I have been watching college basketball my whole life. Of all the tournaments I have ever followed, this is by far the most unique and surprising Final Four I have seen.
This past weekend, the NCAA Men’s Final Four was set. The University of Connecticut Huskies, Kentucky Wildcats, Butler Bulldogs and Virginia Commonwealth Rams are all headed to Houston to play for a spot in the NCAA D-1 championship game.
Connecticut and Kentucky have been basketball powerhouses over the past few years. Both schools have produced high caliber NBA players, and have had teams that will go down in college basketball history. This year, however, experts thought that these two teams had no chance of making it this far.
The Huskies had been led this year by superstar guard Kemba Walker. Walker has put up outstanding numbers this year, even though he plays in a conference that is considered the most dominant in college basketball. The team has its flaws though, and has struggled to overcome it this whole season.
Asides from Walker, the Huskies are a very young team. Throughout the regular season they had trouble finding their niche. The team is extremely talented individually, but college basketball is all about teamwork and execution.
However, when it came time for the Big East tournament, the Huskies came together and eventually won the tournament. That run has carried over to the NCAA tournament, and the Huskies are playing their best basketball this year.
Kentucky is a team with similar issues. Unlike UConn, Kentucky does not have any veteran players that can lead the team the way Kemba Walker does. Kentucky’s freshman class has carried the Wildcats through the season and to the Final Four.
Terrence Jones and Brandon Knight have played exceptionally throughout the tournament, and Kentucky no longer looks like the disorganized and inexperienced team they were during the regular season. Coach John Calipari did what he could not last year, and has taught these young stars to play together.
Who cannot love the Butler Bulldogs? After being ranked in the top 20 at the beginning of the season, the Bulldogs started the season very poorly. They picked up their game eventually, but their struggles made many believe that they would be a minimal threat in the tournament.
Coach Brad Stevens, however, knows how to get his teams going. Butler has gone through Pitt, Wisconsin and Florida who were ranked 3, 13 and 12 in the AP poll respectively. Now, they have reached their second consecutive Final Four.
Last year the Bulldogs depended on star Gordon Hayward to carry them through the tournament. This year, guard Shelvin Mack has taken Hayward’s place, averaging almost 22 points per game through the tournament.
Last year’s team, and this year’s run to the Final Four has shown that Brad Stevens in undoubtedly the best young coach in college basketball.
The final team that will be playing in the Final Four is the VCU Rams. Before the brackets had even been decided, analysts were debating whether or not the Rams should even be in the “Big Dance.” Coach Shaka Smart and his team have gone on a historic run that will be looked back on for years to come.
VCU did not have an easy road to the final four. The Rams have beaten USC, Georgetown, Purdue, Florida State and Kansas. At the end of the regular season, Georgetown, Purdue and Kansas were ranked 22, 9 and 2 respectively in the AP poll.
The team that many people thought should not be in the tournament is just a win away from the national championship game.
So now we are left with two matchups to determine the teams that will be in the national championship game: #3 UCONN vs. #4 Kentucky, and #11 VCU vs. #8 Butler. Based on how these teams have played in the past month, everyone should be ready for a thrilling Final Four.
