Christian Cieri, Illustrator
Four schools and four spectacular coaches have made their way to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four this weekend in Indianapolis. All in all, upset-wise, this has been a pretty mild tournament, and there are three one-seeds in the Final Four. However, the sheer amount of talent on the floor this weekend is more than enough to provide a high level of intrigue. Let’s take a look at the matchups and make some predictions.
Michigan State (7) vs. Duke (1): Tom Izzo and Mike Krzyzewski are two of the best coaches in the history of college basketball. Though neither of them are trotting out their strongest rosters, the chess-match appeal of this game is insane. It should be noted that in his career against Izzo, Krzyzewski boasts an 8-1 record, including an 81-71 victory earlier this season.
As for the players, Duke clearly has the more talented roster. Tyus Jones, Justise Winslow and Jahlil Okafor are three of the best players in the country—Okafor was an All-American as a freshman this season. If Quinn Cook and Amile Jefferson force the Spartans to give them as much attention as their more heralded teammates, this game could be ugly. Michigan State’s defense is strong, but not that strong, especially if the offense isn’t playing well.
The game is going to come down to who can score for Michigan State. It’s been a revolving door of Trice, Valentine and Dawson this year, with each of them alternating who gets to have the big night over the last few months. They all need to be at the top of their games for this to be competitive.
I think Izzo is an incredible coach, and what he’s done with this team is very impressive. But this is the end of the line. 72-59, Duke.
Kentucky (1) vs. Wisconsin (1): I’m going to make this very clear—Kentucky is not going to lose. Yes, I know Bo Ryan is a great coach. Yes, I know Sam Dekker and Frank Kaminsky have been absolute studs for the entire tournament. Yes, I know Notre Dame nearly beat Kentucky last Saturday. But this team is too deep, too strong, too athletic and just too good to be beaten in this tournament. Their stifling defense is going to have a field day against the Badgers. Look for Cauley-Stein to bother Kaminsky the whole game.
The only way Kentucky could feasibly lose this game is if the guard play falters. The Harrison twins are notoriously volatile, and if they can’t get it going,
Christian Cieri, Illustrator
Towns, Johnson and Lyles aren’t going to be able to do the work in the post that they’re so accustomed to doing. However, this seems unlikely, as it hasn’t really happened the entire year. 65-51, Kentucky.
Hypothetical Championship between Kentucky and Duke: A couple of college basketball blue bloods going at it for the first time since 1998 is enough to make any basketball fan’s head spin, especially given the added intrigue of the undefeated season.
The talent of these two teams is pretty evenly matched, and Duke can lay claim to a little more experience on their roster; however, they don’t have the athletes that Kentucky does, and they’ve looked mortal on many occasions this season. Duke is a very good team, but Kentucky has history in the crosshairs. Calipari will stake his claim as one of the best coaches in the country: 75-68, Kentucky.
Bernstein is a member of the class of 2018.
