2014 NCAA Tournament: Final Four Preview
The Final Four is finally upon us. It is always one of the most exhilarating weekends of the year, and this year shouldn’t be any different. In the Final Four we will see matchups between the number one overall seed, the Florida Gators and the UConn Huskies. The second semifinal game will feature the young guns of the Wildcats from Kentucky versus the Badgers of Wisconsin. Let’s break down these games that will start Saturday at 6 p.m. on CBS.
1 Florida Gators vs. 7 UConn Huskies Saturday 6:09 pm: The Gators, for their talent, have had an extremely easy road to the Final Four. They have handled teams with their ability to knock down threes, led by their experienced seniors, Scottie Wilbekin and Patric Young, and their defensive prowess. Wilbekin, who was the Southeastern Conference player of the year, has continued his strong play into the tournament. Michael Frazier has been a terrific piece of the puzzle for the Gators. UConn, behind one of the best guards in the country, Shabazz Napier, has surprised everyone in their trip to the Final Four. They had to go to overtime to beat Saint Joseph’s in the first round before handling Villanova, Iowa State, and most shockingly, Michigan State. Will Napier work his magic one last time? Or will the experience of Florida be too much for UConn?
8 Kentucky vs. 2 Wisconsin 8:49 pm: The Wildcats were one of the laughing stocks of the college basketball world. They’re comprised of arguably the most talented roster in all of the country. Even though they are mostly freshman, they were regarded as the greatest recruiting class ever assembled, and for most of the season they had disappointed. But something clicked in the Southeastern Conference tournament. The Wildcats made it all the way to the championship game before losing by one to Florida. Wisconsin has been consistent all year long. They are easily head coach, Bo Ryan’s, most talented offensive team yet, and that has showed, as they were able to defeat the defensive minded Arizona Wildcats. This is Ryan’s first trip to the Final Four in his 13 years at the helm for Wisconsin. The Badgers have relied heavily on 7 footer, Frank Kaminski. Kaminski is coming off his 28 point, breakout performance against Arizona, in the Elite Eight. It should prove to be another classic Final Four game between two of the head coaching giants in college basketball.
