2009 Final Four Predictions
Written March 16, 2009 by Steve Janus
Now that the field is set (well, almost set) for the Men’s Division I NCAA Basketball tournament, the question always comes up: Who will make the Final Four? There are bound to be plenty of upsets in the first couple of rounds, but rarely do teams outside the #1, #2, and #3 seeds make it to the Final Four. Here is a look the four teams I like to be this year’s final four teams.
Midwest Region – Louisville: Louisville’s biggest contest may come in their second round game against Ohio State (provided that Ohio State gets past Siena). If the Cardinals do get past the Buckeyes, I like their chances against either Michigan State or Kansas. Not to take anything away from these teams, but looking over the field I do see them as the weakest #2 and #3 seed combo on the bracket, which I think gives Louisville a great chance to win their way into the Final Four this year.
West Region – Memphis: UConn has been touted as the weakest #1 seed in the tournament, and I think that holds true. While I like teams like Purdue and Missouri to possibly do some damage in the West, I don’t think they have what it takes to get to the Final Four. Ultimately I do see UConn getting upset before the game to go to the Final Four. Look for someone like Purdue or even Texas A&M to knock them off. Memphis does not usually get much respect come tournament time because they play in a weak conference, but they always come prepared and they always play very well. Bet on the NCAA Tournament.
East Region – Pittsburgh: I would be very surprised if I didn’t see Pitt representing the East’s fourth of the Final Four. There really isn’t a team I see as a major threat to their run, though Villanova or Duke could make their path much more difficult. Duke is a team that everyone seems to forget about, but you know Coach K will have his men ready to go to battle in this year’s tournament. The most likely scenario I see playing out is Villanova playing Pitt to go to the Final Four with the Panthers ultimately representing the East.
South Region – North Carolina: It would be a stretch to pick anyone other than UNC to come out of the South. Sure, Syracuse is coming into the tournament hot and Oklahoma is starting to play much better with Blake Griffin back in the mix, but I can’t in my right mind pick against the Tar Heels. They’ve been the best team in college basketball on the whole this year and I do believe they will be playing as part of the 2009 Final Four.
So there you have it. No big surprises here with three #1 seeds making the Final Four (which doesn’t happen often, by the way), but breaking down each region, I see these as the teams representing their portion of the 2009 NCAA tournament bracket.
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