After a very entertaining Saturday that had plenty of ups-and-downs and more than a few controversial calls by the Zebras, we have what ought to be an equally engaging event.
Here’s how I think things will shake out …
#1 Louisville over #9 Wichita State
Louisville seemed to be totally shocked by “The Shockers” of Wichita State in the first game of the night. Everything we had heard about State proved them to be the real deal. That realization had The Cardinals waiting for their usual “mojo” to kick in.
Louisville has had a reputation for being able to recover from playing ½ to ¾ of a non-descript game to win. They did it in the Georgetown game in the Big East Tournament Semi-Final and then Syracuse in the Final. The problem in this game was that they were playing against a team who had a record of shooting over 50% in the last 5-6 minutes of their games.
In a situation like that something had to give, and the team Louisville had matured into finally overtook the Shockers. It was almost too late, but Junior Luke Hancock, the replacement for injured Kevin Ware had a different idea, when at the 1:58 mark he drained a trifecta. To seal the deal, he went 1-for-2 from the Charity Stripe, then grabbed a Rebound that was tied up and maintained Cardinal possession.
During the game, I commented over-and-over that maybe I was wrong about Coach Pitino being able to use Kevin Ware’s injury to motivate them. I wondered if maybe they were on sensory overload. Then Pitino, who has been rumoured to have finally been voted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame, found his motivation by telling his kids “… it will be just like Georgetown.” and it was.
Louisville won 72-68 to move to the National Championship game. The Shockers wonderfully valiant run had come to an end, but not for lack of trying right to the end.
#4 Michigan over #4 Syracuse
In a game that everyone expected to be a classic offense vs. defense matchup, Michigan came out of the locker room ready to prove that they could prevail against Syracuse’s famed 2-3 Zone defense. They found every opportunity to breakdown the Orange using contributions by not only their starters but their bench as well.
The Wolverines jumped to an 11 point Halftime lead and continued the domination. Frosh Center Mitch McGary did a whole bunch of everything. He scored 10 Points on 12 Rebounds with 6 Assists and 2 Blocks. Only a 2-for-6 shooting from the Charity Stripe tainted that performance, especially since most of those Free Throws were in the closing minutes.
A Commentator noted that Syracuse could not have Nik Staukas impact the game as he had against Florida from the corner. The Orangemen were effective in doing so, but bench trifecta shooting by Spike Albrecht 2/2 and Caris LaVert 2/3 more than handily offset that effort.
Trey Burke, the newly crowned National Player of the Year, lived up to his reputation with 7 Points, 5 Rebounds, 4 Assists, 3 Assists, and a Block when he wasn’t aptly moving the ball around to his teammates.
Michigan won 61-56 in a game that was fun to watch right down to the end. Syracuse tried with everything they had, but I honestly credit Coach John Beilein with having his kids very well prepared for the zone defense.
#1 Louisville vs #4 Michigan at 9:23PM ET in Atlanta
Russ Smith, whose 25 Point average on 50% shooting for the Big Dance is Louisville’s only other double-digit performer. The Wolverines have all five (5) starters in double figures. Louisville spreads their minutes amongst 2/3rds of it’s line-up, compared to only half for Michigan.
I’m sure we’re in for another great game. I expect both coaches to have their teams completely prepared. I would not be surprised if the game started out just like the last for both teams. The question will be if Louisville can pull it out and prevail just one more time .
I originally predicted that Louisville would ride the inspiration to give Kevin Ware a way to help cut down the National Championship nets after his nightmarish injury against Duke. The odds-makers have installed Louisville as a +4 point favorite, and I’m comfortable with that.
