The 2013 NCAA Final Four will be played in Atlanta, Georgia this upcoming April. There is nothing in all of sports like the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. 68 Teams participate in the event until only one team is left standing. Here are my picks for the 2013 NCAA Final Four along with one thing that may prevent each of them from making it to Atlanta to compete for a National Championship.
2013 NCAA Final Four Teams
– Louisville University
Louisville has one of the the most talented teams in the nation, the question is whether they can come together as a team and put their egos aside. Junior guard Russ Smith, also known as “Russdiculous,” is off to a great start, leading the team in points with 20 a game, and in steals with 2.8. Russ has earned the nickname Russdiculous because of his off the court antics, but it looks like he is set to let his on court performance speak for itself. Someone who is not off to a great start is Senior guard Peyton Silva. Silva is shooting just under 29% from the field, but is contributing seven assists a game. Even the defense has been strong this year under coach Rick Pitino. Louisville looks like an early candidate as an NCAA tournament 1 seed, and a team bound for the 2013 Final Four.
What Will Prevent Them From Making the Final Four?
As mentioned above, Russ Smith and several others on the Louisville team seem attracted to trouble. If Smith and others can put their egos aside and stay out of trouble, the Cardinals should be dancing through the Tournament field.
– Syracuse University
Coach Jim Boeheim’s Syracuse Orange came just one win from making the 2012 Final Four, losing to Ohio State in the Elite Eight. This year they returned Senior guard Brandon Triche and Senior forward James Southerland who lead the team in points with 15.3 and 14.3 per game respectively. The Orange’s defense has been even better than their offense so far this year. Syracuse is currently fourth in the nation in blocks with 8.33 blocks per game, and first in the nation in steals with 15 per game. Syracuse will try to come out of the Big East with a solid seed in the NCAA Tournament and they do have the team to contend for a spot in the 2013 Final Four.
What Will Prevent Them From Making the Final Four?
The Big East. Although they have an easy path in pre-conference play, the Orange will face Louisville twice, UCONN, Cincinnati, Georgetown, and other tough Big East foes. If they can make it out of the Big East with a #2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, they should be able to make a deep run.
– Duke University
The Duke Blue Devils seem to be in the conversation for making the Final Four every year. This year, the Blue Devils have a treacherous pre-conference schedule with Kentucky, Ohio State, and Louisville all before ACC conference play starts. Duke’s Seth Curry and Mason Plumlee have been playing up to their potential this year with 17.6 and 20.4 points per game respectively. Plumlee is also averaging 10.6 rebounds per game and two blocks. Even if the Blue Devils have a loss or two in the preseason, they have already defeated the #3 ranked Kentucky Wildcats and have the talent to beat anyone in the country. You can pencil in the Duke Blue Devils into the Final Four now.
What Will Prevent Them From Making the Final Four?
Injuries. Duke is not as likely to fall victim to the upset during the NCAA Tournament as they did last season to Lehigh. Their biggest obstacle in getting back to the Final Four is injuries. If Plumlee or Curry go down to injury, it will be hard to recover from the loss of their contributions, even with a deep roster.
– Michigan State University
Michigan State is thought to be a year or two away from competing for a Championship, but Tom Izzo has taken less talented teams to Final Fours in the past. MSU rebounded nicely from an early loss to UCONN by defeating #7 Kansas University. The loss against UCONN was an odd game played on a U.S. air base in Germany. The Spartans were down 16 in the first half, only to come back within one point with several minutes left to go. Michigan State has played weak early in most of their games so far this season, but they have finished well.
The Spartans have three dynamic young guards in Junior Keith Appling, Freshman Gary Harris, and Sophomore Branden Dawson. The three combined are putting up 39.6 points per game, 6 steals a game, and 11 rebounds a game. Although the Spartans are guard heavy, they also have young big men Derrick Nix and Adreian Payne who are both averaging over 7 points and 6 rebounds a game.
What Will Prevent Them From Making the Final Four?
Two obstacles; The Big Ten and immaturity. The Big Ten is the toughest conference in all of basketball this season. In the Week 3 AP Top 25 Poll, the Big Ten has three of the top five teams, and that is not even including the Spartans. Michigan, Ohio State, and #1 Indiana will be the biggest obstacles for Michigan State. The second obstacle is immaturity. This young Spartans team has the right coach in Tom Izzo, but they still might not have what it takes. They have only one Senior in Derrick Nix, and only three Juniors. The rest of the Spartans roster is made up of seven Sophomores and four Freshman.
Other Possible Final Four Teams: Ohio State University, Michigan University, Kentucky University, Indiana University, UCLA
National Champion Prediction: Louisville University
Lousiville has all of the pieces in place to win a National Championship in 2013, and they are the best team top to bottom out of these four as well. Louisville made an unexpected trip to the Championship Game last season against Kentucky where they fell short, 69-61. Louisville and Rick Pitino are ready to make a second consecutive trip to the Final Four, and will win the 2013 NCAA National Championship.
