Final Four Preview

After a crazy month of March Madness, the last four teams standing meet in Indianapolis tonight. The city hosts for the first time since 2000 when Mateen Cleaves and the "Flintstones" defeated Florida for the national championship. For anyone who remembers, the semifinals that year featured two eight seeds (Wisconsin and UNC) and quite possibly the least entertaining games of recent history. For the semi-final games I was seated in a Michigan State section in the upper deck of the RCA dome, and even their fans were dull despite advancing to the Championship game. Hopefully tonight will not be a repeat of that. The one team that remains a constant, Florida, looks to be the favorite heading in to the final weekend. However, stranger things have happened throughout the last couple of weeks.

#3 Florida vs. #11 George Mason, 6:07 ET:

The final four kicks off with the most intriguing matchup in Indianapolis. Florida is the most talented, deepest team remaining in the tournament. George Mason is the best story of the tournament, and has had the most remarkable run of recent history (rivaled by the '85 Villanova Wildcats).
How they got here:
Florida has been the most impressive team in the tournament. They've gotten great all-around play and can play several different styles. Coming from the Minneapolis region they opened by beating South Alabama handily 76-50. The Gators were fueled by the strong second half shooting of Lee Humphrey and the interior presence of Al Horford and Joakim Noah. In the second round they faced UW-Milwaukee, where they again won easily 82-60. This time it was sophomore swingman Corey Brewer who lead the attack with 23 points. The Sweet Sixteen provided Florida with its toughest test of the tournament, the 7th seeded Georgetown Hoyas. Georgetown was able to play the game at its tempo, making it a low-scoring, grind it out game. Again, Florida received contributions from several of their stars and squeaked out a 57-53 win to advance to the elite eight. In the regional final the Gators faced the 4-Guard attack of Villanova and benefitted from the frequent misfirings of second-team All-American Allan Ray, and fellow guards Mike Nardi and Kyle Lowry. Joakim Noah continued his unbelieveable tournament play with 21 points and 15 rebounds to lead Florida to a 75-62 victory. Noah deservedly was named the region's most outstanding player.
George Mason started off it's improbable run by defeating 6th seeded Michigan State, a final four team from a year ago. Despite the absence of Tony Skinn (suspended for one game due to a cheap shot he threw in the CAA championship game), the Patriots were led by a solid 21 point performance from Folarin Campbell for a decisive 75-65 win. In the second round GMU faced defending National Champion UNC. This time it was Lamar Butler who lead the charge with 18 points, but it was the defense on UNC's super talented freshman Tyler Hansborough that made the difference limiting him to a meager 10 points. George Mason prevailed 65-60 sending them to Washington D.C. for the sweet sixteen against Wichita State. Campbell again lead the Patriots in scoring with 16, but it was their timely shooting and well-balanced attack that helped them to a 63-55 win over the Shockers. In the Elite Eight GMU faced top seeded UCONN, considered by many to be the most-talented team in the country. This time it was Forward Jai Lewis who led the offense with 20 points, but again received help from a handful of contributors. Lamar Butler was named the region's most outstanding player.
PREVIEW: This game features two teams with talented starting fives and very talented coaches. George Mason's Jim Larranaga has pulled all the right moves and continues to keep his team focused and relaxed. Florida's Billy Donovan is the only coach who has lead a team to the Final Four in the past. As I've stated throughout, Florida is the most talented team left in the tournament. They have an outstanding front line with super sophs Al Horford, Joakim Noah, and swingman Corey Brewer. In the backcourt Taurean Green keeps the offense moving and Jeff Humphrey is a big time threat beyond the arc. Joakim Noah is playing arguably the best basketball of any player in the tournament and the athleticism of Florida's big guys will be very tough to handle. On the other side, George Mason does not fear any team. They've already taken out 3 top notch programs and are hungry to keep their run going. Since many people felt they did not even deserve to make the tournament, this team has played with a huge chip on its shoulder. That being said, they've defeated teams who were vulnerable. Michigan State had a lot of experience with Shannon Brown, Maurice Ager, and Paul Davis, but were a very inconsistent team all year. UNC had a lot of talent, but were very young and returned only one minimal contributor from last year's national champion. UConn had the deepest, most talented team in the country but often played down to its opponents. They seemed to be able to score at will when they wanted to, but often fell in to lapses where they thought they could just cruise by opponents. George Mason is running in to a hot Florida team. However, their run is no fluke. They have power inside with Jai Lewis and sophomore Will Thomas. Tony Skinn and Lamar Butler can fill it up from the outside and they have gotten tremendous contributions from swingman Folarin Campbell. They've proven they can play with anybody despite being a bit undersized. George Mason has shot extemely well from the perimeter and have gotten big defensive stops when they've needed them. Both teams have gotten solid contributions from their bench and should be relatively fresh due to their deep lineups. George Mason did a great job limiting a very talented UConn front line, but Florida's big men provide a greater challenge to a defense. The play of Noah and Horford should be the difference in a tight game.
Prediction: Florida 76-72

#4 LSU vs. #2 UCLA, 8:47 ET:

The second game of tonight's semi-finals features teams from major conferences, Pac-10 Champion UCLA versus SEC West regular season champion LSU Tigers. UCLA is a young team with a rich tradition hoping to hang another championship banner while LSU is a sentimental favorite hailing from the devastation left by Hurricane Katrina.
How they got here:
LSU emerged from the Atlanta region through the impressive play of their frontcourt. The outstanding play of SEC player of the Year Glen "Big Baby" Davis started right from the first game. Davis' 22 points and 15 rebounds lead the Tigers to a 80-64 win over 13th seeded Iona despite a slow start. In the second round the Tigers faced an upset minded Texas A&M team fresh off a first round victory over 5th seeded Syracuse. While Davis again lead the team in points and rebounds (21 and 8), it was senior Guard Darrel Mitchell who knocked down the game winning three pointer with 3.9 seconds to go for a one point victory over the Aggies. The Sweet Sixteen matched Davis against Duke All-American Shelden Williams, but the Tigers jumped out to a first half lead despite sitting their top two scorers (Davis and Tyrus Thomas) for most of the half due to foul trouble. LSU did a fantastic job on AP Player of the Year JJ Redick, thanks in large part to the smothering defense of Garrett Temple. Tyrus Thomas was a disruptive force in the paint, blocking 5 shots and altering several more. Darrel Mitchell and Glen Davis led the way offensively with 14 points a piece as LSU took out top seeded Duke with a 62-54 win. In the elite eight the Tigers faced second ranked Texas and again relied on Davis. Despite facing a tough Texas frontcourt of projected number one pick LaMarcus Aldridge, along with Big 12 Player of the Year P.J Tucker and Brad Buckman, LSU's frontcourt stars won the battle. Along with Davis' 26 points, Tyrus Thomas chipped in 21 points as LSU dominated the OT period to take a decisive 70-60 victory sending them to Indianapolis. Thomas was named the region's most outstanding player.
UCLA's road to the final four has kept them in the state of California. They opened in San Diego with a dominating win over 15th seeded Belmont lead by a career game for Freshman Luc Richard Mbah a Moute who notched 17 points, 8 boards, and 6 assists. In their second round game versus 10th seeded Alabama, the Bruins were led by the outside shooting of star Jordan Farmar. His 18 points lead to a 62-59 decision over the Crimson Tide. For the sweet sixteen the Bruins moved over to Oakland to face #2 Gonzaga. In the most impressive comeback of the tournament, UCLA came back from 9 points down with under 3 minutes to play for a 73-71 victory. Arron Afflalo lead the Bruins in scoring with 15 points, but this game was marked by the collapse of the Bulldogs. Turnovers and bad decisions by Gonzaga down the stretch enabled UCLA to take its only lead of the game in the final seconds and move to the elite eight. Facing number one seed Memphis in the regional final, the Bruins again turned up the defense. Afflalo again lead the team offensively with 15 points, but it was UCLA's ability to shut down Memphis superstar Rodney Carney that lead to a 50-45 win for the Bruins. Center Ryan Hollins collected the region's most outstanding player award.
Preview: This game features two teams that play tremendous defense and have a couple of offensive threats. For the Bruins, the backcourt of Arron Afflalo and Jordan Farmar carries the team offensively. Either one can put up a bunch of points in a hurry and could really do damage against a thin backcourt for the Tigers. For LSU, Glen Davis and Tyrus Thomas can take over games in the paint. Davis is a load inside who eats up space but is surprisingly nimble. Thomas might be the best athlete remaining in the tournament who can elevate unlike anybody else in Indianapolis. Both of these teams are young and prone to making mistakes. UCLA is carried by sophomores Farmar and Afflalo, but does get contributions from Seniors Ryan Hollins and Cedric Bozeman. Freshman Luc Richard Mbah a Moute has been impressive in the tournament and fellow freshman Darren Collins also chips in. Besides Sophomore Glen Davis and redshirt Freshman Tyrus Thomas, LSU relies heavily on lone senior Guard Darrel Mitchell. His ball handling and clutch outside shooting has brought this team where they are. The Tigers also receive contributions from freshmen forward Tasmin Mitchell and guard Garrett Temple. This game should be relatively low scoring and UCLA's stingy defense could create problems for an LSU team without many ballhandlers. However, the tandem of Davis and Thomas should create headaches for UCLA and the Tigers should advance to Monday's championship game.
Prediction: LSU 61-57