Final Four Picks and Predictions: Louisville Kentucky, Ohio State Kansas

Final Four Picks and Predictions, 2012 March Madness NCAA Men’s Basketball – Louisville VS Kentucky, Ohio State VS Kansas

Well, my March Madness bracket died at the hands of the teams that made it to the Final Four. The only logical thing is to ride those teams into the NCAA Championship sunset. Louisville’s suffocating defense took out my champion in convincing fashion, while Kentucky rolled to the Final Four untouched. Ohio State battled through a depleted Syracuse team to face Kansas in the Final Four after Kansas beat UNC without their point guard. We’re down to four of the best teams in college basketball, with Louisville’s four seed the lowest left on the board. Only one top seed survived their regions.

Louisville (+9) vs Kentucky Pick and Predictions

Kentucky went 36-2 in the regular season, sweeping the SEC with a 16-0 record in conference play. Louisville went 27-9, and just 10-8 in the Big East. However, Louisville got hot at the right time, finding ways to win close games throughout the tournament.

Kentucky has yet to be tested. They’re a team of one-and-done dynamos with no experience in big games like this. They’ve blown out everyone that stood in their way, cruising to the Final Four with convincing victories in every round. They didn’t have to beat Duke because Lehigh University took care of that for them. Ultimately, this bracket proved to be far too easy for Kentucky, which could make a challenging Final Four game more difficult to deal with.

Louisville battled through Florida’s hot first-half shooting to pull off an unthinkable comeback win. They showed heart and won with timely bench scoring and hustle. Even with Peyton Siva fouled out, Louisville pulled out the win. You have to want to pull for a team like this. Even if they fall short the 9 points they’re getting could cover the talent difference between these two teams. In a heated rivalry, I expect a tight game, and maybe even another magical upset.

Louisville 65 – Kentucky 61

Small wager on Louisville +9

Ohio State Vs Kansas (+2.5)

Ohio State had a similar path to the Final Four as Kentucky did. The top team in the bracket lost one of their best players to suspension, and Florida State choked against Cincy. Ultimately, Ohio State was able to waltz into a Final Four berth, following Jared Sullinger’s above-average play the entire way winning close but fairly convincing games along the way.

Kansas won two games by three points to make it to the Elite Eight. Then, facing an injury-riddled UNC team, Kansas blew away the top seed in the bracket. Ultimately, both second seeds got lucky because the top teams in their brackets were held back in some way. Fab Melo was out for Syracuse and Ohio State took advantage in the second half. UNC was without their point guard in a game where guard play was most important. However, Kansas won convincingly and Ohio State struggled with Syracuse.

I like Kansas in this game to pull off the upset. Ohio State hasn’t impressed me, and they’ve been on their heels a bit since losing in their conference championship. Kansas is coming off a big win, and I had them going to the championship in my original bracket. I’ll stick with my original March Madness pick in this game.

Kansas 72 – Ohio State 67

Moneyline on Kansas: +150