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Kansas North Carolina Final Four Predictions
2008 mark the first time in history that all four number one seeds have
advanced to the Final Four. To add to the drama, Roy Williams will have
to beat his former program to earn a chance to compete for his second
national title at North Carolina. Jimmy Boyd takes a look at each team's
intangibles in this Kansas/North Carolina Final Four Predictions
article.
Kansas Jayhawks (35-3)
Best Win: Decisive 84-74 victory over Texas in the Big 12
Conference Tourney title game.
Worst Loss: 61-60 defeat to lowly Oklahoma State.
Who's the Man? Brandon Rush can dominate a game without even
scoring. Few players can do that. He shot just 4-of-14 from the floor
against Davidson, but his defense on Curry and his key field goals
enabled Kansas to move on.
X-Factor: Sherron Collins is a sparkplug off the bench. His
ability to get into the lane and break down defenses has been huge for
this Jayhawks squad. He would be a starter on just about any other team
in the nation.
Clutch Performer: There's no question that Mario Chalmers is Mr.
Clutch for Kansas. In crunch time, Coach Self always gives the ball to
Super Mario. Unlike so many players in today's game, Chalmers can drive
it all the way, pull up for the mid-range "J", and shoot the three. That
makes him tough to stop in big situations.
Why Kansas? The Jayhawks are the most balanced team in the Final
Four and there attitude has to be now or never with three key seniors
and several talented underclassmen moving on to the NBA draft.
North Carolina Tar Heels (36-2)
Best Win: 76-68 road revenge win at Duke in front of all the
Cameron Crazies.
Worst Loss: 82-80 to Maryland.
Who's the Man? Junior Forward Tyler Hansbrough is a horse. He's
averaging 21 ppg and 9.5 boards in the Big Dance. No player in the
country does more for their team or has had a better season than Psycho
T.
X-Factor: Ty Lawson is without a doubt a vital piece of the Tar
Heels puzzle. It was obvious that Carolina was not the same team when he
missed six games due to injury. They need Lawson's speed to push the
basketball to get the uptempo game that Coach Roy Williams wants to
play.
Clutch Performer: I'll go back to Hansbrough here. It's usually a
guard that takes those game winning type shots, but Hansbrough's
competitive nature makes him a better option because he just won't be
denied. Also, he'll hit free throws all day long down the stretch if you
choose to put him on the line.
Why UNC? The Tar Heels' offense has been hitting on all cylinders
as no team in the tourney has been able to slow the tempo on them. If
Carolina gets running and gunning again, we should pencil them in to the
title game.
Jimmy Boyd has put in his time in the research room and is ready to
deliver the goods in this Saturday night Final Four matchup. Sign up for
one of Jimmy's low-cost premium packages to get this play plus his 5
Star Final Four Game of the Year on the Memphis/UCLA battle.
April 3rd, 2008
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