By Justin Yang
After thrilling two weeks of
unanticipated upsets, rise of Cinderella teams, and clutch three-pointers, it’s
now down to the remaining four survivors.
Who will go to the championships and eventually take home the trophy?
Louisville Cardinals
As the only first seed remaining, the Cardinals are the
favorite to advance to the championships knocking out Wichita State, but can
they live up to the expectations?
Strengths: The
team’s key strength is its backcourt duo consisting of Peyton Siva, who is
averaging 5 assists per game (second in the league), and Russ Smith, who is
averaging 26 points per game (first in the league). Both players have led their team on a rampage in which the Cardinals
won by an average of 21.7 points over the four games. With explosive center, Gorgui Deng added to this duo, it’s
hard to see the Shockers with the ticket to the Georgia Dome.
Weaknesses: So
far Louisville’s biggest weakness will be the loss of key player, Kevin Ware
who has suffered a gruesome injury against the Blue Devils last Sunday. Although the Cardinals lost one of its
key players, the team was able to use their emotions to fuel themselves in
their win against the Blue Devils.
If the Cardinals can use this emotional edge of trying to win a national
title for Ware, they may be able to overcome this disadvantage.
Wichita State Shockers
The ninth seed Shockers are the Cinderella team of this
year’s tournament, being able to surpass the first seed Gonzaga and the second
seed Ohio State, but will they be able to shock the Cardinals?
Strengths: Led by
Cleanthony Early and Malcolm Armstead (both averaging around 15 points per
game), the Shockers will have to mainly rely on their tough defense to shut
down the Cardinal duo and dominate the paint and glass.
Weaknesses: The
Shockers’ biggest weakness would be scoring. Although Armstead and Cleanthony are putting up some points,
the team lacks a consistent go-to shooter. For example, against Aaron Craft and the Buckeyes, Armstead
shot only 6-of-21 and it won’t get any easier against Louisville.
Cardinals vs. Shockers
Overall, the Cardinals have the advantage as long as its
players play up to their expectations and use the emotional edge of the loss of
Ware to propel themselves.
Although there’s a high chance for the first seed to win, if the
Shockers can slow down the Cardinal’s offense and block them from driving to
the basket, it’s anybody’s ball game.
After all, this is the NCAA and anything can happen.
Michigan Wolverines
The fourth seed Wolverines go head-to-head with another fourth
seed in their semi-finals game.
Will Trey Burke be able to lead the Wolverines to the championships?
Strengths: The
Wolverines’ biggest strength is their star guard, Trey Burke who may be the
best player in the NCAA as he averages 15.5 points per game (third in league)
and 7.8 assists per game (first in league). Backed up with key players such as Tim Hardaway Jr. and
Mitch McGary, the Wolverines have a good chance of beating the Orange with
their overwhelming offense.
Weaknesses: Although
the Wolverines may have a remarkable offense, the team lack in defense. This team is missing an elite
rim-protector, struggles with defensive rebounds, and lacks in perimeter
defense. Michigan is also
notorious for its small lineup this year, which is the main reason why the
defense isn’t sturdy.
Syracuse Orange
A match of two opposites, will the Oranges’ resilient
defense be enough to overcome the Wolverine’s aggressive offense?
Strengths: The
Orange will mostly rely on their defense as their 2-3 zone has been effective
in hindering opponent shooters all throughout the tournament. The Orange have only allowed an average
of 45.7 points per game.
Weaknesses: The
biggest downfall for the Orange will be their offensive guard play. The two guards, Michael Carter-Williams
and Brandon Triche are able to play at an elite level, which can make for a
deadly combo, but the main problem is the consistency. If these two can play to their full
potential, they can win it all for Syracuse, but if they check out then bye-bye
Orange.
Wolverines vs. Orange
This will be a very competitive matchup and one to look
forward to. With two teams both at
the fourth seed and each team being complete opposites in their strengths and
weaknesses. It all comes down to
which team can break down their opponent and if each team’s key players are
checked in. Burke will be the key
to Michigan’s win, while Carter-Williams and Triche must lead the Cuse. If I had to choose between the two, I
would pick Syracuse since defense is usually the key to winning a game (to shut
down Burke in this case), but both teams will be neck-to-neck and this will be
a worthwhile game.
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