It is cliche to say this, but did anyone really see Connecticut Huskies playing Kentucky Wildcats for the National Championship? The two names alone are blue bloods of modern day basketball. But given their seeds, no one really expected this to be the final game of the college basketball season. UConn will look for its fourth National Championship in the last 15 years while Kentucky is trying to prove every doubter wrong whom laughed at them earlier this season. Nothing about these two teams says a blowout either way rather we should expect a great game with high energy wondering what will win out, talent and size or senior leadership?Kentucky has everything it takes to win a National Championship tonight. They have the athleticism inside and outside to compete with the Huskies. But all needs to start from inside the paint. We all know UConn isn't very big. Patric Young nearly exposed them for it, but every time Florida got close, the Huskies hit a big shot to quell the comeback. Kentucky needs to have their inside scorers at the top of their games. A part of me feels like we could see a huge Julius Randle game leading to everyone freaking out about his draft stock given the size of this Husky team.
Randle is a problem for any team and he might be a bigger one for UConn. He can you off the dribble or pound in the post. Expect him to start down low and slowly work his way around the perimeter. Randle could easily draw the few big men UConn has into foul trouble which could be a death sentence for UConn's chances. I expect to see him being the first option to begin the game. Dakari Johnson could be just as big of a factor as Randle. He is more committed to being inside the paint and that could pay off wonders for them. The combination of Randle and Johnson could be too much for this Husky team to handle.
As for UConn, they beat Florida on Saturday because players other than Shabazz Napier stepped up in the big moment. Can that happen again or will Napier need to shoulder the load? Shabazz is a crafty player that can find different ways to score when need be. I expect him to attack the bigs of Kentucky early on in an attempt to get them in foul trouble. Even though Marcus Lee would still be an issue for UConn, if they kept Randle and/or Johnson off the court, UConn would have a big advantage. Bazz needs to be himself out there and not try to do too much.
The others known as Ryan Boatright and DeAndre Daniels were the two biggest reasons the Huskies are playing tonight. Boatright's defense on Scottie Wilbekin was nothing sort of amazing. While Kentucky's guards have not been known to be big scorers, Boatright could frustrate them and force turnovers for easy buckets like he did on Saturday. Daniels will be the X-factor. Weirdly enough, he has had a big game in the 'first round' of every sub-regional. He had a strong game against St. Joesph's, Iowa State and Florida, but in the next two following, he did not have as big of a game. The size of Kentucky could limit what Daniels wants to do out on the court.
In a weird way, we don't need to have a great title game. They were so many awesome, remarkable games that we will be talking about at the bar for the next five years that if the National Championship game is a bust, we can live with this being one of the best tournaments until the final game. But it does feel like we will be getting a classic with the two scorers with the biggest balls left, Aaron Harrison and Napier, both taking final shots to see who comes out victorious. I am taking Kentucky to win, but there is going to be more drama than an MTV reality show. Wildcats 73 Huskies 71
Charlie.
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