The two semifinal games both had their ups and downs last night. However, we now have our championship matchup set. The Men’s Basketball Championship preview will include a deep look at tomorrow’s championship game with an outlook on each team and a predicted winner.
Men’s Basketball Championship Preview
Kansas Jayhawks
Kanas is the first team featured in this men’s basketball championship preview. The Jayhawks played excellently as a team and lead most of the way against Villanova. Center David McCormack was sensational on Saturday with 25 points. Villanova struggled to contain Kansas’s post players and was overmatched all night. Tomorrow Kansas will play UNC in the championship game. The Jayhawks must take advantage of the injury to Armando Bacot; they should take the ball right at him and see how he reacts. They must contain Caleb Love, who had 28 points against Duke, for Kansas to win. Kansas is a better defensive team and will not be as easy for North Carolina to score against.
With Bill Self as head coach, the Jayhawks have a significant experience advantage over Hubert Davis, who is in his first season. I think this will be a close game; however, the X-factor for the Jayhawks is Ochai Agbaji. The team goes as Agbaji goes at times, and if he has a great game, it will be tough for Carolina to come out on top. Agbaji is also an excellent defensive player that will not make things easy for his opponents. The game will be fast-paced, but I expect Kansas to take care of the ball and make the big plays to win it all.
North Carolina Tar Heels
The second team featured in the Men’s championship preview is North Carolina. This championship game comes after an emotional win over rival Duke for the Tar Heels. They must avoid coming out flat after a crazy semifinal game. Villanova went down 10-0 to Kansas right away on Saturday; this cannot happen if the Tar Heels want to win. They must get off to a good start by hitting some threes. To beat UNC will need superior performances from R.J. Davis, Caleb Love, and Brady Manek. These three players are the key for UNC to take home the crown. UNC needs to continue to make threes to keep pace with Kansas tonight. They have several good shooters, and they will keep this interesting.
UNC also must stay out of foul trouble in the post. With Armando Bacot’s injury, UNC will be hampered down low; they will need quality minutes out of Leaky Black, and Brady Manek; each will be forced to guard the taller McCormack throughout the contest. I am worried that UNC will not have enough down low; to counter, they need at least 10-12 threes to win. It would be an incredible story for a first-year coach to win a championship, especially after following a legend like Roy Williams.
I anticipate tonight’s game, and I cannot wait to see if UNC can pull off the upset. However, the Jayhawks are my pick to win it all. I expect a great game and a scintillating end to a wonderful college basketball season.
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