And then there were four: The road to the final four ends here
Travis Willmann, Assistant Editor
Courtesy of Pixabay
The road to the final four has finally been paved and what a journey it has been. Starting with 64 teams, it seems almost impossible for there to be a Cinderella team, but every year there seems to be a team that surprises everyone. The best teams in the nation have fought hard to be considered the top four teams in the nation and here we are. The Final Four will present 11th seed Loyola-Chicago, third seed Michigan, 1 seed Villanova and 1 seed Kansas.
The clock has yet to hit midnight for the Cinderella team, Loyola-Chicago. Loyola-Chicago has held each of their opponents in the tournament to under 70 points while being able to produce on offense, according to SBnation.com. Their balance of scoring and defense has made it tough for teams to play against Loyola-Chicago. However, none of this would have been possible without a last second shot to beat Miami in the opening round of the tournament. After handling their next three opponents seemingly with ease, Loyola-Chicago will have the chance to make history, to be the first 11th seed to make it to the national championship game.
However, Loyola-Chicago will have to face a Michigan team that is hungry for a championship. After blowing out Texas A&M, Michigan turned to their defense to defeat a scrappy Florida State team 58-54, according to cbssports.com. Michigan has now reached the final four twice in the six-year tenure of head coach John Beilein and they are ready to break through and get the championship they think they deserve, according to cbssports.com.
The last time Michigan was in the National Championship game with the chance to win was in 1993 against North Carolina. Some say if Michigan star, Chris Webber, did not force the refs to call a technical foul on him, Michigan would have won it then. Since then, Michigan has been waiting for another shot and this might be the year they get that chance.
The two teams on the other side of the bracket should be no surprise for those who follow college basketball. Once again, Villanova finds themselves at the doorstep of another national title. The last time Villanova went to the Final Four, they won the championship over North Carolina. Villanova is using balanced scoring with a strong veteran lineup to win, according to ESPN. Villanova has been solidifying themselves as a blue blood over the past few years but have failed to produce when it came to the tournament. Besides the national title in 2016, Villanova has failed to live up to expectations.
Kansas was the last team to grab a spot in the Final Four after defeating Duke in the Elite 8 in a game that went into overtime and had some questionable fouls. Kansas is now ready to throw their weight around and show Villanova what it means to be a blue blood. Bill Self, the head coach of Kansas, has to be feeling pretty good about his veteran lineup and balanced scoring, but their big man in the middle might be the key for them to win another National Title. The last time Bill Self went to San Antonio, he won a national championship and Self has his eye on another.
The Final Four will be played on March 31, starting with Loyola Chicago at 6:09 p.m. The second game will start at 8:49 p.m., with Kansas facing off against Villanova.
The Championship game will be played on April 2 with a time to be announced.
