Welcome back to the only picks here on Associated Content that believed a 16 seed would defeat a 1 before all No. 1 seeds made the Final Four. Whoops. My bad. This is Zac’s Backs: Final Four Edition.
My previously mentioned prediction may not have come true but my national championship game is still a very real possibility. The North Carolina-Memphis match-up is all that remains of my shattered bracket but it is just enough to give me a realistic chance of beating my friends. Isn’t that what March Madness is truly about, anyway? The fact is I’m going to stick with my bracket predictions all the way through. Here are my Final Four predictions.
UCLA vs. Memphis
I guess the nation can finally start respecting Memphis. The Tigers dominated Texas for most of the game last weekend, so much so that Texas began fouling Memphis with about four minutes left in the game. The Tigers showed that they can convert from the charity stripe, going 30-36 (83 percent) from the line. They also held Texas to 67 points, the least amount of points scored by the Longhorns in this tournament.
UCLA held Xavier to 57 points. They also gave up 78 to Western Kentucky. You can expect Douglas-Roberts and Rose to give the Bruins problems all night long. With Taggart and Dorsey down low don’t expect Kevin Love to dominate inside. In order to win this game, the Bruins are going to have to score at least 70 points. That probably won’t be enough, considering that Memphis has averaged 88.5 points in their last two games.
Expect UCLA to keep this game close, but at this point the Tigers have convinced me that they can hit just enough free throws to win a game in the end. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised, however, by a blow out.
UCLA 83
Texas 77
Kansas vs. North Carolina
Kansas has done nothing to change my mind that the Tar Heels will breeze right into Monday’s championship game. Davidson was a Cinderella story with Curry and the zone defense but you couldn’t look me in the face and tell me that North Carolina wouldn’t have beaten Davidson by ten points at least. In fact, the Tar Heels did just that, except against a Louisville team that was playing it’s best basketball of the entire season.
Tyler Hansbrough is going to get a double-double on Saturday because, well, he is. Kansas can’t stop the inevitable. Curry may not have made the game-winning shot on Sunday for Davidson but he still scored 25 points in a losing effort. Do you expect that Lawson, Ellington and Green to do any worse for North Carolina? Go with the Tar Heels in this one, my friends.
North Carolina 81
Kansas 72
National Championship Game: North Carolina vs. Memphis
Memphis is the only team in the NCAA Tournament that can beat North Carolina, pure and simple. This is the match-up I want to see and not just because it could make my bracket. A Memphis-North Carolina game could be the highest-scoring national title game in NCAA history. Truth be told, it could also be a 55-53 final score. These are currently the two best teams in college basketball and I don’t expect that to change this weekend.
I can’t go against North Carolina. I just can’t do it. Call it intangibles or “the will to win” but I cannot envision the Tar Heels losing a game. They have too many weapons, are too deep and have the perfect head coach for this particular group of kids. Maybe it’s just my bracket or the flu I’m battling but I’m sticking to my guns here.
North Carolina 78
Memphis 73
That’s all for me, dear readers. You’ve been spectacular as always. Enjoy Viva la Bam. I love that show.
