It should be an exciting Final Four tonight including two teams who have been national powers over the last decade and two teams who, between them, only have one Final Four appearance. Butler is looking to go to it's second straight title game behind tough defense and Coaching brilliance by Brad Stevens while VCU looks to continue to shock the tournament world behind the gutsy play of Joey Rodriguez and Jamie Skeen. In the nine o clock game we have two of the most storied college basketball programs in the country squaring off. UConn will look to reach its third national title game in 12 years while Kentucky will look to make it's first national title game since 1998. A rivalry will be renewed tonight when Jim Calhoun and John Calipari face off tonight. These two coaches were battling for the best team in New England during the 90's and now they will get a chancee to face each other at the biggest stage. Lets start with the VCU vs Butler game.
11 VCU 28-11 vs 8 Butler 27-9 6:09 PM
Back court
VCU
Best Three:
Joey Rodriguez 10.5 PPG 3.3 RPG 5.1 APG
Bradford Burgess 14.3 PPG 6.2 RPG 1.6 APG
Brandon Rozzell 11.6 PPG 2.3 RPG 1.5 APG
Butler
Best Three:
Shelvin Mack 15.9 PPG 4.3 RPG 3.6 APG
Shawn Vanzant 8.1 PPG 3.2 RPG 1.7 APG
Ronald Nored 5.3 PPG 3.1 RPG 2.5 APG
VCU's back court has carried them throughout the tournament so look for them to do the most damage tonight. Joey Rodriguez has had a sensational tournament so far. He may not score a lot but his toughness and energy brings VCU to another level. Bradford Burgess has carried the scoring load throughout the tournament as evidence to his 26 points in a one point win against Florida State. For Butler, Shelvin Mack will have to have a good game. He is one of the best guards in the country as evidence to his seven three pointers against Florida in the elite eight. He will be asked to carry the load for Butler tonight.
Edge: VCU
Front court
Best Three:
Jamie Skeen 15.4 PPG 7.4 PRG 1.6 APG
Juvonte Reddic 3.5 PPG 1.9 RPG 0.3 APG
Toby Veal 2.4 PPG 2.2 RPG 0.2 APG
Butler
Best Three:
Matt Howard 16.7 PPG 7.7 RPG 1.5 APG
Khyle Marshall 5.3 PPG 3.8 RPG 0.3 APG
Garett Butcher 1.6 PPG 1.3 RPG 0.2 APG
The front court matchup between Jamie Skeen and Matt Howard should be very intriguing to watch. Both players aren't afraid to get down and dirty so expect that matchup to be a battle. After those two neither team has many quality players so it will be critical for role players to step up. The question is which ones will step up?
Edge: Butler
Coaching:
Brad Stevens vs Shaka Smart
On one hand we have Shaka Smart who will be making his first appearance in the Final Four tonight. He's been able to rally his Rams to greatness over the past couple of weeks. On the other hand we have Brad Stevens, who is quickly becoming one of the best coaches in the country. Both coaches have different strategies. Smart likes to have his players run up and down the court while Stevens prefers to play a half court game and tough nosed defense. I give the edge to Brad Stevens on this one.
Edge: Butler
Prediction:
Butler will make it's second straight national title game this year behind the gutsy play of Shelvin Mack and Matt Howard and coaching wizz Brad Stevens. VCU hasn't played a defense all year that has been as physical as Butler so that could be the difference in this one.
Butler 70-65
4 Kentucky vs 3 UConn 8:49 PM
Back Court
Best Three
UConn
Kemba Walker 23.9 PPG 5.3 RPG 4.5 APG
Jeremy Lamb 11.1 PPG 4.5 RPG 1.5 APG
Shabazz Napier 8.0 PPG 2.4 RPG 3.0 APG
Kentucky
Best Three
Brandon Knight 17.3 PPG 3.9 RPG 4.3 APG
Doron Lamb 12.3 PPG 2.0 RPG 1.7 APG
Darius Miller 11.4 PPG 4.6 RPG 1.7 APG
Kemba Walker has been a man on a mission the past month. If they voted for National Player of the Year after the tournament he would be the winner. His speed and quickness will cause trouble for Kentucky. But for UConn to beat Kentucky Jeremy Lamb will have to hit some shots early to get some pressure off of Walker. For Kentucky, freshmen Brandon Knight will have to continue to play at a high level if they want to win. He hit some huge shots in their elite eight win over UNC so expect him to have the ball in his hands at the end of the game. Doron Lamb and Darius Miller will have to step up big if Kentucky wants to win tonight. I give the slight edge to UConn because they have Kemba Walker
Edge: UConn
Front Court
UConn
Best Three:
Alex Oriahki 9.6 PPG 8.6 RPG 0.4 APG
Roscoe Smith 6.5 PPG 5.2 RPG 0.5 APG
Jamal Coombs-McDaniels 5.8 PPG 2.7 RPG 0.4 APG
Kentucky
Best Three:
Terrence Jones 15.8 PPG 8.7 RPG 1.6 APG
Josh Harrellson 7.6 PPG 8.8 RPG 0.8 APG
DeAndre Liggins 8.8 PPG 4.1 RPG 2.5 APG
The front court match ups tonight will be very intriguing to watch tonight. Alex Oriahki is one of the top offensive rebounders in the country. He will play a critical role tonight. If he can get some offensive rebounds early to get second chance opportunities then UConn will be in good position. For Kentucky, Terrence Jones will need to make plays tonight. He's a match up nightmare every time he steps on the court. He made big play after big play against UNC last Sunday so he will be relied on heavily to produce some big numbers. Josh Harrelson has really stepped up his game this year. He has become Brian Zoubek Part II except Harrelson can shoot from 15-18 feet. He, like Oriahki, will be relied on to get his team second opportunities to score.
Edge: Kentucky
Coaching: John Calipari vs Jim Calhoun
The old New England rivalry will be renewed tonight on the biggest stage. Calhoun is looking for his third title while Calipari is just trying to make it to Championship without it being vacated.
Edge: UConn
Prediction: UConn will advance to it's first National Title game since 2004 behind another brilliant game from Kemba Walker. He will go for at least 25 tonight. If UConn can control the boards tonight they should be in very good position.
UConn 77-73
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