Davids and Goliaths – Preview of the Final Four

The Final Four is less than 72 hours away. Sixty-eight teams started, beginning with the First Four. Four teams remain the Virginia Commonwealth Rams, the Butler Bulldogs, the Kentucky Wildcats, and the Connecticut Huskies – the Final Four.

The National Semifinals could not be partitioned better. One semifinal features participants from major conferences, the University of Kentucky from the Southeastern Conference and the University of Connecticut from the Big East, arguably the best conference in college basketball in 2011. The winner will face the survivor in the other semifinal game between Butler University, of the Horizon League, and Virginia Commonwealth University of the Colonial League.


The Goliaths – (4) Kentucky Wildcats vs (3) Connecticut Huskies

Regular readers of the Hat Trick have gotten my two cents on these programs throughout the season. Both schools are among the elite but both schools have underperformed at unexpected times, during the regular season. Whatever speech Wildcats coach John Calipari gave his team…whatever motivational tactics Huskies coach Jim Calhoun used on his players after the regular season finale…the message was received.

Neither team has lost a postseason game (including their respective conference tournaments). Kentucky, winners of 10 straight, was not lost in over a month. UConn has won nine consecutive games, including a vigorous string of five games in five days during the Big East Tournament. In a college basketball season in which no clear favorite ever emerged, these two teams, in my opinion, proved, on the court, that they are genuinely two of the four best college basketball teams in the country, albeit by slim margins.

Analysts, time and again, have expected Connecticut to wither and fall due to exhaustion from their entrance into the Big Dance on the heels of the extra games they had to play to win the Big East tournament (and earn a #3 seed to secure favorable early round matchups in the NCAA Tournament). Time and time again, those analysts have been wrong. Kentucky, while possessing senior leadership on the court from forward Josh Harrelson (8 PPG, 9 RPG), is led on the stat sheet by three freshmen, guards Brandon Knight (who has had ice in his veins throughout the tournament; 17 PPG, 4 APG) and Doron Lamb (12 PPG), and forward Terrence Jones (16 PPG, 9 RPG, 2 BlkPG).

I stated at the start of the tournament that Connecticut was the “x factor” team with the implication that this team could go as far as junior guard Kemba Walker (24 PPG, 5 APG, 5 RPG, 2 StlPG), a National Player of the Year candidate, and Hall of Fame coach Calhoun could take them. So far they have led the Huskies to within two wins of the school’s third National Championship. Walker’s exemplary play during the regular season reached an even higher level during the postseason.

Kentucky's Brandon Knight 1

My concern for Connecticut is that is has too many eggs in one small basket, Kemba Walker. Jeremy Lamb is the only other player on the team averaging double figure scoring. The only two active members of the team who stand 6’10” or taller – Charles Okwandu and Enosch Wolf, spend a combined less than 20 minutes per game on the floor. What the Huskies have is a smallish team with only one consistent potent scoring threat facing a team loaded with offensive weapons and two players in Knight and Jones who are so good, they may have possibly already outgrown the college game as freshman.

If history is any indicator, Calipari’s team may end up vacating all of its efforts en route to the Final Four, but if I had to place a bet (which I do not do) I would bet that such a vacation would come after Kentucky advances to the National Championship game.

Advantage: Kentucky

Coach Calhoun: "From 'The Daily' what? Picking Kentucky? You're not that stupid, are you?" 3



The Davids – (11) Virginia Commonwealth Rams vs (8) Butler Bulldogs

One of the Davids is actually a Cinderella, VCU. The Rams, in the voiced opinions of countless college basketball analysts, passed over more worthy teams in its own state to reach the tournament and did not even deserve to be in the field of 68, over more deserving teams such as Clemson, Virginia Tech, and Colorado. Rams coach Shaka Smart has played the “us against the world” card five times since the First Four and, five times, his team has won, including an inexplicable, shocking upset over the #1 seeded Kansas Jayhawks, an overtime thriller against Florida State, and solid defensive thrashings of #3 seed Purdue, Georgetown, and First Four opponent USC. VCU has gotten its entire lineup involved in the scoring with point guard Joey Rodriguez (11 PPG, 5 APG) running the floor and spreading the ball around.

VCU coach Shaka Smart 2

Butler is a D.I.N.O. – David In Name Only. While it is a school from a mid-major conference, it has proven, for the second consecutive year, that it is one of the best programs in college basketball. The 2010 runner up lost its best player, Gordon Heyward, to the NBA and still returned to the Final Four in an attempt to finish what it started. Bulldogs coach Brad Stevens, in the opinions of many, has risen to the ranks of the elite college basketball coaches at age 34. Senior power forward Matt Howard (17 PPG, 8 RPG) and junior point guard Shelvin Mack (16 PPG, 4 APG) are the leaders on the floor for Butler. They effectively strong-armed the #1 seed (or, at least the bracket and matchup benefits) from Pittsburgh by beating them in the third round and have looked the part ever since. In the New Orleans regionals, they beat #4 seed Wisconsin and then beat #2 seed Florida, in overtime.

Butler is battle-tested. Butler is experiences. Butler got to see and smell a championship a year ago, but could not touch or taste it. They are coming for theirs. I think VCU finally comes out of its glass slipper and leaves Houston in a carriage-turned-pumpkin.

Advantage: Butler

The clock struck midnight for Butler in 2010 on the final shot. The Bulldogs intend to pass the torch to VCU. 4

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1,4) Images from thebleacherreport.com
2) Image from beaumontenterprise.com
3) Video from youtube.com