Ringer's NCAA Tournament Record
ATS: 37-27
SU: 43-21
We started out with 68 teams and we have now reached the Final Four. This time around we got much more traditional schools than we saw last year. All 4 teams headed to New Orleans were a projected Top 20 team to begin the season, and have made at least 1 Final Four appearance in the past decade. I actually picked 3 of the 4 participants in my preseason predictions (http://ringersports.blogspot.com/2011/11/2012-ncaa-tournament-projections.html). Kentucky, Louisville, Ohio State, and Kansas were the teams that have survived and advanced. Let's take a closer look at the 2012 Final Four, that features a couple of rematches from the regular season, and 1 heated in-state rivalry.
National Semifinal - New Orleans
1 Kentucky (-8.5) vs. 4 Louisville
How they got here:
Kentucky beat: Western Kentucky 81-66, Iowa State 87-71, Indiana 102-90, Baylor 82-70
Louisville beat: Davidson 69-62, New Mexico 59-56, Michigan State 57-44, Florida 72-68
The Team Leaders:
Kentucky
Points - Anthony Davis 14.3 PPG, Doron Lamb 13.2 PPG
Rebounds - Anthony Davis 10.0 RPG, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist 7.6 RPG
Assists - Marquis Teague 4.8 APG, Darius Miller 2.1 APG
Louisville
Points - Kyle Kuric 13.1 PPG, Russ Smith 11.4 PPG
Rebounds - Gorgui Dieng 9.1 RPG, Chane Behanan 7.4 RPG
Assists - Peyton Siva 5.5 APG, Chris Smith 2.1 APG
The Bluegrass State will be out of control on Saturday evening. These two teams will square off in the first meeting of the Final Four. Everyone in Kentucky roots for one of these teams. The Louisville faithful actually make up a small island of red in a sea of blue. Which means that there will be much more weight on the shoulders of the Wildcats.This is the 2nd year in a row that John Calipari has coached Kentucky to the Final Four. This year they were the tournament's #1 overall team. They have pulled off this remarkable year by starting 3 Freshmen and 2 Sophomores. Nobody gets the best out of young talent like Calipari. This group of youngsters has the chance to get Calipari his 1st national championship. Rick Pitino's squad has had a marvelous run, beginning with a Big East Tournament title. Pitino has already won a national championship - with Kentucky in 1996 - and would love nothing more than to knock off his former team. Louisville will need to get Anthony Davis in foul trouble and protect the ball to pull the upset. Kentucky has proven that they can play any style and are equally as good on both sides of the ball. They just need to make sure they don't beat themselves. If the Wildcats play their own game, they will win. Kentucky beat Louisville 69-62 back on New Year's Eve. I see a similar game here with Louisville hanging with the #1 team in the land. In the end, Kentucky will win the Battle of the Bluegrass State and get John Calipari one step closer to his 1st title.
Prediction - Kentucky 68 Louisville 65
National Semifinal - New Orleans
2 Kansas (+2.5) vs. 2 Ohio St.
How they got here:
Kansas beat: Detroit 65-50, Purdue 63-60, NC State 60-57, North Carolina 80-67
Ohio State beat: Loyola (Md) 78-59, Gonzaga 73-66, Cincinnati 81-66, Syracuse 77-70
The Team Leaders:
Kansas
Points - Thomas Robinson 17.9 PPG, Tyshaun Taylor 17.3 PPG
Rebounds - Thomas Robinson 11.8 RPG, Jeff Withey 6.2 RPG
Assists - Tyshaun Taylor 4.8 APG, Elijah Johnson 3.8 APG
Ohio State
Points - Jared Sullinger 17.6 PPG, Deshaun Thomas 15.4 PPG
Rebounds - Jared Sullinger 9.3 RPG, Deshaun Thomas 5.0 RPG
Assists - Aaron Craft 4.6 APG, William Buford 2.9 APG
When these two teams met in Lawrence, Kansas back in December, Jared Sullinger did not play for Ohio State. Kansas won that game 78-67. It should be much different this time around. Sullinger will be on the floor, setting up a battle of All-American Forwards between him and Thomas Robinson. Sullinger was an All-American as a Freshmen and all but a lock to be named one again as a Sophomore. Thomas Robinson was a virtual unknown coming into the season. He emerged as a star and was one of the best players in the nation all year. Robinson lead Kansas to the Final Four in what was supposed to be a down year for the Jayhawks. It should be a great matchup between these schools on Saturday. Ohio State has been just as impressive this season. They went through a rough patch toward the end of February, but they have righted the ship and find themselves exactly where they thought they would at the beginning of the year. This game is pretty evenly matched. Overall, I just think that the talent on Ohio State's roster is better. Sullinger will find a way to get his, Aaron Craft will suffocate Tyshaun Taylor, and the Buckeyes will get contributions from Deshaun Thomas and William Buford. Ohio State and Kentucky will meet in the National Championship Game on Monday night just like I predicted before the season began.
Prediction - Ohio St. 65 Kansas 62
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