This Year's Final Four

I am very exicited, to put it mildly, about the two games this Saturday that determine who plays Monday night for the national championship. Despite all the number one seeds making it to the semifinals for the first time ever, this year's tournament has been full of surprises. Stephen Curry carrying his Davidson Wildcats to the Elite Eight with his brilliant shooting. Twelfth seeded Western Kentucky beating Drake and San Diego for Sweet 16 rights. All of this has built up the anticipation of crazed college basketball fans, like myself, for North Carolina, Kansas, Memphis, and UCLA.

Roy Williams will do battle with Kansas, a team in which he departed from five years ago for his alma mater Tarheels of North Carolina. Carolina won the whole thing in 2005, with future NBA prospects Sean May, Raymond Felton and Rashard McCants. Now he looks to do it in a different way: depth and speed.

Kansas has been a solid team all season long. Of all the number one seeds in the tournament, it felt the most unusual when the Jayhawks fell in three of their regular season games. They are so well disiplined and work sensationally together on both ends of the court. They are the most balanced team remaining, which will be a plus (and has proved to be one) if one of their starters get into foul trouble.

John Calipari's Memphis Tigers are the outlier of the number one seeds. Critics have been skeptical of Memphis and their conference schedule, while overlooking the wins they had against Michigan State, Georgetown, Gonzaga, Arizona, and Connecticut in their non-conference schedule. They have blown out their last two opponents in Texas and Michigan State (again) for a chance against Pac-Ten champs UCLA. Their biggest negative will be free-throw shooting, but they shoot such a high percentage from behind the arc that it could make up for it.

UCLA has made three straight Final Four appearances with Ben Howland as the chief, but Howland will attempt to earn the Bruins their first national title since 1995. Kevin Love is a monster inside. When defenders think they have his turnaround baby-hook figured out, he will step behind the 3-point line and make you pay. Darren Collison is one of the quickest players in the nation and can take the game by himself when the time is right.

UCLA over Memphis by 7; North Carolina over Kansas by 4; North Carolina over UCLA by 8