2011 Final Four Predictions
The NCAA tournament field has been whittled down from 68 teams to just four. No. 4 seed Kentucky, No. 3 seed Connecticut, No. 11 seed Virginia Commonwealth and No. 8 seed Butler are the last teams standing, and they’re all set to do battle Saturday at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas. Of these four, college basketball odds makers have made Kentucky the favorite, listing the Wildcats at +140 to win it all.
No. 4 Kentucky v. No. 3 Connecticut – This Kentucky team doesn’t have John Wall or DeMarcus Cousins, but it has managed to knock off top seed Ohio State and No. 2 seed North Carolina to punch its ticket to the Final Four. The Wildcats have now won 10 in a row, but they could have their work cut out for themselves against Kemba Walker and the UConn Huskies.
Connecticut, which has won nine straight, defeated Kentucky by 17 points on a neutral floor back in November. Walker, who is averaging 26.3 points during UConn’s win streak, scored 29 points against the Wildcats in the season’s first meeting. Stopping him will be priority number one for John Calipari’s team.
Kentucky star Brandon Knight only scored six points on 3 of 15 shooting (0 of 8 from 3-point range) in that matchup. Knight has been a different player in the big dance with some clutch shots and big games. These two stars figure to have a big say in what happens Saturday.
Lean: Kentucky - The Wildcats were able to avenge an earlier season loss to North Carolina, and they will have an excellent chance to do the same here. They are the better defensive team, and they have a better interior game offensively.
No. 11 VCU v. No. 8 Butler – Butler certainly has the edge in terms of experience, having played in the national title game last year, but Shaka Smart’s Rams have been unfazed in the dance. They have taken out five big six conference schools with four of those wins coming by double digits.
VCU’s run has stolen a little bit of Butler’s thunder, but the Bulldogs shouldn’t be taken lightly. They upset top seed Pittsburgh and No. 2 seed Florida to reach this point.
The Rams are led by 6-foot-9 forward Jamie Skeen, who scored 26 points and added 10 rebounds in Sunday’s win over Kansas. Butler is led by guard Shelvin Mack, who has really improved his stock with a 30-point game against Pitt and a 27-point performance against Florida.
Lean: Butler – The Rams have more size than Butler, but so has every team the Bulldogs have faced in the dance. The Bulldogs continue to be tougher and more disciplined than their opponents. The experience they gained on this stage last season will also be to their benefit.
National Championship Game: No. 4 Kentucky v. No. 8 Butler – While Kentucky is the more talented side, Butler has consistently proven the value of outworking its opponents. We saw the success Princeton had against Kentucky by slowing the game down, and I expect coach Brad Stevens to take a similar approach if these schools battle it out in the national title game.
Lean: Butler – With so many underclassmen on big six schools making the leap to the NBA, it has opened the door for more experienced mid-major teams. Don’t be surprised if Butler cuts down the nets. Butler is listed at +350 to win the national championship.
Archived Final Four Predictions:
