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NCAA Tournament Projections - Final Four Edition
AthleteVault
Updated Arpil 3, 2008...
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Athlete Vault takes a look at the Final Four this weekend with an in-depth analysis
April 5th - 6:07 pm
Memphis vs. UCLA
Memphis
Coach John Calipari
Starting Lineups:
F: #2 Robert Dozier
F: #3 Joey Dorsey
G: #5 Antonio Anderson
G: #14 Chris Douglas-Roberts
G: #23 Derrick Rose
UCLA
Coach Ben Howland
Starting Lineups:
F: #23 Luc Richard Mbah a Moute
F: #42 Kevin Love
G: #3 Josh Shipp
G: #00 Russell Westbrook
G: #2 Darren Collison
This game features the best backcourt in the nation in Memphis against the tough front line of UCLA. Love against Dorsey is going to be a battle and Mbah a Moute is a high energy big man that will be all around the glass. While the edge goes to UCLA in the front court, the guards of Memphis are outstanding. Darren Collison for UCLA is a defensive stopper but he will have his hands full with Derrick Rose. Rose and Douglas-Roberts are a lethal combo and it will be interesting to see if UCLA can stop them.
UCLA G/F Josh Shipp has good size and will probably cover Douglas-Roberts as he creates a huge mismatch problem if Collison or Westbrook cover him. Texas had a backcourt that was comparable to Memphis and was run out of the building. UCLA’s backcourt isn’t as good but the front court is better than Memphis. Also, you can’t deny that UCLA has more experience being that they’ve been in the Final Four the past two years. The coaches are comparable to each other, so there’s no edge there. In the end though, the backcourt of Memphis is too strong and Dorsey and Dozier can keep Love and Mbah a Moute in check. I’m not quite sure the UCLA guards can keep both Douglas-Roberts and Rose in check.
Memphis by 8
April 5th – 8:47 pm
Kansas vs. North Carolina
Kansas
Coach Bill Self
Starting Lineups:
F: #00 Darrell Arthur
F: #32 Darnell Jackson
G: #03 Russell Robinson
G: #15 Mario Chalmers
G: #25 Brandon Rush
North Carolina
Coach Roy Williams
Starting Lineups:
F: #01 Marcus Ginyard
F: #21 Deon Thompson
F: #50 Tyler Hansbrough
G: #05 Ty Lawson
G: #22 Wayne Ellington
Memphis may have the best backcourt but Kansas and North Carolina are a very close 2nd. The amount of McDonald All-Americans playing in this game is unreal. The key for Kansas is containing Tyler Hansbrough and not letting the UNC guard control the tempo. Kansas has the best front court player with the most upside in Darrell Arthur but he isn’t as experienced or battle tested as Hansbrough. Lawson and Ellington are exceptional guards and can fly, where as the Kansas guards are just ultra athletic. Chalmers has been unbelievable as of late and has shown a nice shooting touch. Brandon Rush is probably the most athletic of the guards and creates a mismatch with his size at the guard position. The coaching edge is heavily in favor of North Carolina’s Roy Williams. He’s been here before and has a national championship under his belt. Kansas in the past has underachieved in the tournament but with this much talent the time is now. The 3 guards for Kansas will be too much for Carolina. Lawson and Ellington are unbelievable but so are Rush, Robinson, and Chalmers. To make matters worse, Arthur is set to have a big game and I think this is where he breaks out. Hansbrough will get his double-double but so will Arthur and it will be more significant for his Kansas team.
Kansas by 3
Stay Tuned for Sunday for our National Championship Game analysis