Kentucky
Evan Rapson
Willie Cauley Stein, Trey Lyes, Karl-Anthony Towns, Tyler Ulis, Devin Booker, Aaron Harrison, Andrew Harrison, Dakari Johnson, and Marcus Lee… These are the amount of NBA prospects that the Kentucky Wildcats will bring to the Final Four. With nine McDonald’s All-Americans playing on the team, Kentucky’s unstoppable front court will dominate the post and their back court of guards who have the size of playing forward will tower over Dukes little guards. Willie and Karl-Anthony will be the only match ups this entire season that will be able to stop Duke’s Jahlil Okafor. They have the size and the muscle and without a doubt, all the talent in the world to make this season a perfect 40-0. John Calipari will be proud to be able to say that one of his teams in his career that he coached is perfect. Davin Booker, Aaron Harrison, Andrew Harrison are Kentucky’s point and shooting guards. All of them are 6’6, with the exception of Tyler Ulis who is at 5’9. With this type of height, Duke’s main offense which is shooting threes will be suppressed by the fact that Quinn Cook, Grayson Allen, and Tyus Jones will not be able to see daylight with these guard’s hands in their faces. Willie Cauley Stein is without a doubt the most intriguing defensive presence in all of college basketball. Listed at 7’0, he can guard all positions, from be big with the centers, to having the quick lateral movements to keep up with guards. If Kentucky plays their game, they will take out Wisconsin and then swift through the National Championship and beat Duke, completing their 40-0 season
Duke
Mike Davis
There is one prospect that will probably be the consensus number one pick in this year’s NBA draft and his name is Jahlil Okafor. With an array of post moves and a huge body to box out and grab boards, Okafor is an all in one package, with exception to his defense with the pick and roll and pick and pop. A rising star in the making, Justise Winslow is taking the NCAA tournament by storm, posting numbers like 16 points per game and 8-9 rebounds per game, Kentucky will have a hard time stopping the motor and the shooting of the lanky and tall Winslow. The x factor for the Blue Devils is their point man, Tyus Jones. We all know that the freshmen guard has a knack for hitting the big shots. This could be the spotlight for him and if he is able to perform in the clutch, then the Blue Devils could well be on their way to a National Championship. Without a doubt, they will blow through the Michigan State Spartans, and if they bring their A+ game to the table at the finals, they will be cutting down the nets after the end of regulation on April 6th.
Key Matchup to watch: Karl-Anthony Towns vs. Jahlil Okafor.
Verdict: Kentucky-68 Duke-60
