It’s Championship Monday! The most entertaining March
Madness of my lifetime has come to an end. And why wouldn’t it end with a
7-seed playing an 8-seed for the national title.
This one is literally a David vs. Goliath matchup.
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| Shabazz Napier (left) and Aaron Harrison, have each been stars this NCAA Tournament. They face off tonight with a national title on the line. |
There’s Connecticut—the 7-seed—who beat Florida by playing small ball. The Huskies took out their big men, who had been foul trouble
throughout, to pick up the tempo of the game, using their quickness to out play the Gators.
Then there’s Kentucky—the 8-seed—who starts five freshmen
that will all play in the NBA. Oh, and they’re all over 6-foot-6 too. The Wildcats
dominate the glass, ferociously attacking it from all angles. There will be
lots of dunks tonight, just ask Wisconsin.
Kentucky seems to be the favorite, the sexy pick if you
will. But then you have UConn, who’s beaten Florida twice this season, the same
Florida team that knocked off the Wildcats not once, not twice, but THREE
times.
The Huskies have the best backcourt in the country too, led
by do-everything guard Shabazz Napier. Ryan Boatright is pretty darn good in
his own right, just ask the Florida guards he hounded defensively Saturday
night.
The Wildcats counter that backcourt with a stellar duo as
well in the Harrison twins. We all know how good Aaron is in the clutch, but
Andrew also has his moments of greatness, particularly when he’s driving and
dishing.
And who’s he throwing the ball two?
Well, usually it’s going somewhere around the rim. Perhaps
to the 7-footer Dakari Johnson, who uses his 265-pound frame to bully smaller
defenders inside. Or it could be Marcus Lee, who always seems to dunk the ball
at least a handful of times each game. Or he could give it to Julius Randle,
the double-double machine that hasn’t been stopped this tournament.
How does UConn stop that?
It can’t probably, but then again it couldn’t stop Florida’s
Patric Young either in the semifinal. UConn counters big teams with its
quickness and ability to finish in transition.
That was the difference in Saturday’s game. That and DeAndre Daniels.
The Huskies still managed to outscore the Gators by 12
points in the paint despite the obvious size advantage for Florida. UConn might
be a 3-point shooting team, but it still finds ways to get inside.
Daniels was brilliant once again, scoring 20 points and
gathering 10 rebounds. He’ll have a tough matchup tonight going up against
Randle. If UConn wants to win, Daniels needs to have yet another fantastic
game.
Still, Kentucky just seems like the team of destiny this
tournament. They’ve won the last three games on big time shots by Aaron
Harrison.
It will take a lot for UConn to pull this one off, but it’s
been one heck of a ride for the Huskies and I don’t see them backing down one
bit.
This game will be another great one, as this has been a tournament for
the ages.
Kentucky 75 UConn 73.
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Thanks for reading and enjoy the game tonight!
Reach me at: award6344@gmail.com
Follow me on Twitter and Instagram: @_andrewward
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