It’s safe to say that the NCAA Tournament has lived up to its name, “March Madness.” With the amount of upsets from the first round to the Final Four, there are not too many brackets still intact.
However, that does not take away from the teams who make up the Final Four, or their long and strenuous journeys over the past month. Number one seed Florida, two seed Wisconsin, seven seed Connecticut and eight seed Kentucky have respectfully won their regions and will now go head-to-head for a championship game slot.
“I have a feeling it’s going to be Florida and Wisconsin,” said Ramapo sophomore I’india Davenport. “They just seem to be the most hungry for the title.”
Even though Florida does have a lot of talent on their team, facing the Huskies will be a challenge. Shabazz Napier has had an amazing postseason this year. In his last game against Michigan State, he had 25 points and six rebounds. If Napier showcases his talents as he’s been doing all tournament, UConn might just give Florida a run for their money.
Florida, on the other hand, has two big seniors leading the team: Scottie Wilbekin, South Eastern Conference Player of the Year, and Patric Young. Both great defenders, they will most likely give UConn a hard time handling the ball and down in the post. Florida, having many offensive threats, will need both strong defense and leadership from both seniors.
“I’m really looking forward to the Wisconsin/Kentucky game,” said Ramapo senior Alayna Donadio. “There’s going to be so much talent in that game, it’s going to be exciting to watch.”
The Wisconsin Badgers have a huge threat in their 7-foot forward, Frank Kaminsky. He has definitely stepped up this year, not just in his postseason play. The difference in his play from last year to this year is why the Badgers have gotten this far. Kaminsky is not just hard to guard from the post, but his perimeter shooting has made a huge impact.
Sam Dekker has been an offensive weapon for the Badgers as well. Once the pressure is on Kaminsky, Dekker has to step into the role of offense threat to keep the Badgers afloat. Most of the offensive game comes from the great mind of Coach Bo Ryan, who has such a disciplined offensive system in place. The basketball IQ of the Wisconsin guards will also play a huge part in this matchup.
The Kentucky Wildcats will have a strong chance as well, because their team is extremely athletic and have a back-court advantage with the Harrison twins and James Young. Even though they have the talent, they are a young group and must overcome the immaturity in their games to win a head-to-head battle with the intelligence and discipline of Wisconsin guards.
The stage is set for these four teams to have a chance to play in the game of a lifetime. The schedule is set for Florida to play UConn on Saturday at 6:09 p.m. and for Wisconsin to play Kentucky at 8:49 p.m., both on TBS.
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lforese@ramapo.edu
