2009 Final Four Predictions

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final-four-pred-31709East Region Champion: Pittsburgh Panthers
I have been really impressed with Pitt this season, particularly in its two wins over fellow No. 1 seed Connecticut. The only weakness this team may have is that it doesn’t shoot the three-point shot well consistently, but that isn’t really a fatal flaw when you can dominate the paint the way Pitt does with DeJaun Blair. Blair dominated Hasheem Thabeet in both meetings with UConn this season and that quite simply means that their isn’t another college basketball player on the planet that can stop him. The Panthers have a veteran floor leader with Levance Fields, who remains underrated in terms of the best point guards in the country. You won’t find very many players dishing out nearly eight assists per game. Sam Young is Pitt’s inside/outside guy. He can get hot from the perimeter and fill it up or he can use his athletic ability to slash to the rim. The East is a loaded region with Duke, Villanova, Xavier, Florida State, and UCLA, but Pitt is by far the most complete team and that’s why it should come out.

Midwest Region Champion: Michigan State Spartans
And why shouldn’t the Midwest Region champ come from the Midwest? Lots of people are going to be penciling No. 1 seed Louisville in the Final Four, but I have the Spartans taking down the Cards in the Elite Eight. Louisville’s pressing style is a tough style to play against, but it fits right into the hands of the Spartans who have one of the quickest and best point guards in the country in Kalin Lucas to abuse the pressure. Michigan State has thrived when it is out on the break all season long in the Big Ten and it will be no different here. Seeing UConn play against the Louisville pressure earlier this season has helped me make my pick here. We saw how effective A.J. Price was at breaking the press for points when UConn took down the Cards during the regular season. Likely a very tight game, but Michigan State gets the edge.

South Region Champion: North Carolina Tar Heels
I have the Heels running all over the South Region to a National Championship in 2009. After making a run to the Final Four last year, I like Tyler Hansbrough and company to finish the job. No team in this tournament is as dangerous as the Heels because of the one-two, inside-outside punch of Tyler Hansbrough and Ty Lawson. We all know the numbers Hansbrough can put up, but Lawson has taken his game to another level and with the extra rest I don’t expect the toe injury to be a problem. Wayne Ellington and Danny Green provide balance and three point shooting from the wings. While defense is said to win championships, the Tar Heels are so explosive offensively that it has been nearly impossible to stick with them for 40 minutes.

West Region Champion: Connecticut Huskies
Many felt Memphis should have received the No. 1 seed in this region, but Connecticut will prove that it was more than deserving by advancing to the Final Four. The Huskies went home early in last year’s tournament and that means they’ll be a whole lot hungrier this time around. If the Huskies still had Jerome Dyson in the lineup, I think they could challenge North Carolina, but even without him, they are still the best team in the West Region. Hasheem Thabeet is a defensive weapon unlike any other player in the game and A.J. Price has really picked up the slack since Dyson went down. Don’t count out the Huskies.

Here are my Final Four Predictions and I will have you covered with winning NCAA basketball picks against the spread throughout the tournament. Beat the college basketball odds this March by doing your basketball betting right alongside Jimmy Boyd.

About the Author: Jimmy Boyd is known for his consistency. He's a proven winner in college and pro football, college and pro basketball and pro baseball. He finished as the No. 1 ranked MLB handicapper in 2007 by earning $1,000/game bettors $50,050. He also finished as the No. 1 ranked basketball handicapper in the 2008-09 season, profiting $1,000/game bettors 38,530. His basketball plays have banked $1,000/game bettors nearly $80,000 the last five years. Check out Jimmy's premium picks for tonight!
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