Final Four Matchup #2 pits the Huskies of Connecticut against the Wildcats of Kentucky. Both of these teams are a sort of a "surprise" team to make the final four, if you were to look at Joe Lunardi's bracketology projections and the overall resume especialy for the %uskies in the meat of their conference run. UCONN had 9 conference losses this year and finished 9th in the Big East. Then Kemba woke up, the Huskies won 5 games in as many days to capture the Big East crown and catapulted into a number 3 seed in the NCAA tournament. They haven't slowed down much at all, rattling off another 4 in the tournament. This all coming from a team who did not have a single vote in the preseason rankings and started off the season behind teams like (2) Michigan State, (14) Baylor, (19) Memphis and (23) Virginia Tech.

The Huskies are anchored by National Player of the Year candidate, junior guard Kemba Walker. Kemba is averaged 13.5 ppg in the regular season, and has elevated his game in the Big East and NCAA tournaments, getting that number up to 26.3 ppg over his last 9 games. Along with Walker, there is a good supporting cast of seniors, role players and one under-the-radar freshman who could be a great player for the Huskies in the years to come. Jeremy Lamb the freshman can straight up shoot the basketball, he gives you at least a steal and a bucket every game it seems, and has good perimeter defense. Other players that contribute for scoring on the outside come from Roscoe Smith as well as Shabazz Napier and Jamal Coombs-McDaniel. But we can't forget the glue that holds this whole team together, that would be Alex Oriakhi. The sophomore is averaging just a hair under 9 ppg and 8 rpg, and is a dominant, physical force in the middle for the Huskies.

How will the Huskies match up with the Wildcats of Kentucky?

They match up well. But then, the Wildcats match up with the Huskies well too. Kentucky arguably has a better frontcourt with the 1-2 punch of Harrellson and Terrence Jones. This could affect the flow of the game if Kentucky can pound the ball inside, early and often. The Wildcats also have a pretty good freshman, just like the Huskies do. Brandon Knight. He has been the heart and soul of this team all season, hitting two game winners already in this tournament. He plays like a junior or senior, but will he be able to live up to the spotlight of the Final Four? That remains to be seen, but this kid is special. The supporting cast for the Wildcats include junior DeAndre Liggins, along with Darius Miller and Doron Lamb.

These two teams might as well be brothers. I look forward to seeing what the end result is, along with how and why the winning team came out on top.

In your Guru's humble opinion, Kemba Walker is too hungry for a birth in National Championship to let his team and the fans down. Whenever UCONN is in a tight spot, Kemba is always there to save the time and be the hero. This guy is a hard competitor and a winner. In the end, I think the experience and the pure skill of Kemba Walker & Co. will prevail in the end of this game.

UCONN advances to the National Championship against the Rams of VCU.

Connecticut 71
Kentucky 68

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