Final Four thoughts

The 2013 NCAA Men's basketball tournament begins its' final act today in the southeastern metropolis of Atlanta (home of yours truly). And while the tournament has certainly had its' twists and turns, today's Final Four contests feature teams and storylines that are all too familiar with the NCAA tournament.

In Louisville versus Wichita State we have the classic powerhouse vs. Cinderella/mid-major power game that has become prevalent in recent years, a la George Mason vs. Florida and Butler vs. Michigan State. The difference between Wichita State and those other teams though is that Wichita State is 10-deep in players that can impact games and has adequate size and athleticism at every position. That said, Louisville's pressure will probably be too much for the Shockers to handle. As if that wasn't enough, Louisville is also playing for Kevin Ware, who suffered that horrific leg injury in their Elite Eight victory over Duke. The only way Louisville doesn't take this game is if one of their backcourt duo of Russ Smith or Peyton Siva has a bad game or gets themselves in foul trouble. If that happens, Louisville's lack of players who can handle the ball off the bench could come back to haunt them.

Syracuse and Michigan are two big conference schools who have rich basketball histories, although Syracuse's is a lot more recent. It is an intriguing matchup in that Syracuse's zone is the most stifling defense in the country and Michigan is one of the more offensively diverse teams in the country. Unlike many basketball analyst, I actually don't think Michigan has to bomb away and pray from the three point line to win this game. Michigan has guards in Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr. that can attack defense's off the bounce and stroke it from deep. Those two plus do it all freshman forward Glen Robinson III are players that Syracuse have yet to meet in this tournament. The key for Michigan defensively is too keep Syracuse from getting hot deep and make them take contested shots.

I honestly think that a Louisville vs.Michigan matchup has the potential to be the best NCAA final since Memphis vs. Kansas. Michigan's ability to handle the ball (they lead the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio) against Louisville's pressure defense puts the teams on a level playing field should those two meet Monday. As a basketball fan, I really hope that happens.