Stop the Madness! Final Four "finally" here

I believe it was a line from the Queen song, "I'm going slightly mad..." and anyone who has followed NCAA basketball this year can attest to the fundamental frenzy that has surrounded this year's tournament. Now, after all of the hype and all of the hub-bub, we venture down to Hotlanta and are finally ready for....wait for it....the FINAL FOUR!!! (cue applause)

Yes! Here we are, and--what? WHAT? Where in the heck is Cinderella? Did she not come this year? What in the world happened? What? You say the committee actually seeded brackets and things came out basically the way they should have?? NO! Come on! No way...

WAY. I am sure that most of us are probably still scratching our heads about the ones that we just "knew" would have a chance to wear Cinderella's dress (see Winthrop, Oral Roberts, and Nevada) and then--poof!--Cinderella is kicked to the curb faster than Greg Oden picking up two fouls.

But now we have an even better dance--we've got the prom king and queen AND the homecoming king and queen battling it out. Florida takes on UCLA and Ohio St. battles Georgetown in what should be two classics that lead to an eventual train wreck of epic proportions when the winners square off in the championship game.

So....who's going to win, you ask? I'm glad you asked that question. Wait--am I?

Game #1:

vs.

Ok, so everybody and their brother (I never really understood that saying, but oh well, c'est la vie) is basically bowing down to the Hoyas. After the miraculous-win-over-Vanderbilt-even-though-replay-may-have-cost-them-the-game, they staged yet another miracle comeback against North Carolina and beat the living snot out of them in overtime. Everyone is talking about the whole Thompson-Ewing legacy deal, and while that's cool and all, I believe no one is saying that "Little" John and "Little" Pat are any where near comparable to their papas. And there's the big to-do about Roy Hibbert, the 7-2 wunderkind who has been solid throughout the tournament.

And then there's the Buckeyes, and while this team is riding a 21-game win streak, plus more press than Anna Nicole Smith (ok, maybe that's a stretch..we'll go with Nicole Richie), this should be a walk in the park for the Buckeyes, right?

(Cue the annoying sound from Family Feud after three strikes)...

The Buckeyes haven't had it so hot either. A ho-hum game versus in-state rival Xavier lead to almost a disaster against Bruce Pearl's Tennesse Volunteers, and if it wasn't for the heroics of one Mike Conley, the Buckeyes would be thinking about next year already and Oden would be trying on his hat size for the draft. But, they stormed back from 20 down to win a shot at the Memphis Tigers, who they dismantled systematically in the second half to claim their spot in the Final Four.

Still, even with this--many prognosticators are bellowing that the Hoyas will squeak past the Buckeyes into the national championship. Las Vegas is even making Georgetown the chalk for the game, and early indicators seem to favor the Hoyas' style and drive. But--to steal a line from Lee Corso--NOT SO FAST, MY FRIEND!

I believe the Buckeyes will prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that they belong in the national title game and behind the tutelage of Thad Matta, the ruggedness of Conley, Oden, Cook, and Lewis, they should out-talent and outplay the Hoyas in the end. The biggest matchup will center (no pun intended) around Hibbert and Oden, and while Hibbert has gotten a lot of praise lately, I believe Oden's natural athleticism and quiet leadership will really give the Buckeyes the edge. While Oden is on the floor in the tournament, the Buckeyes are +40. When he's off, they're -23. (That's even with Conley's efforts against Tennessee while Oden was in foul trouble).

The Hoyas are too one-dimensional; their starters accounted for 89 points in the win over UNC, and Ohio State's bench is much too deep for the Hoyas to compare. Although both teams are second-halfers, I believe the sheer talent of Conley and Oden will bring the Buckeyes to the promised land versus...drum roll....(mystery music playing)....ohhhhh! We're out of time! Tune in tomorrow to see my pick of the UCLA-Florida matchup.

Take care everyone....Goosey

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Stop the Madness! Final Four "finally" here

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