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No. 2 Kansas vs. No. 3 Syracuse
9:22 p.m. ET, CBS
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How they got here: To get acquainted with the Superdome, Kansas brought in Marquette for a light scrimmage on Saturday. Later that night, Syracuse faced Texas in the play-in game, in which the Orangemen's Hakim Warrick served up the 'Horns' Royal Ivey a nasty, nasty facial (perhaps a spoiled Royale with Cheese?).
The lowdown: Kansas will relentlessly attempt to fast break. The No. 1 assignment on Marquette's pre-disaster blackboard was to "sprint back on defense" -- and yet, the Golden Eagles' containment efforts were futile. Runnin' KU may be the Midwesternized version of 1991's Runnin' Rebels: Back then, UNLV had L.J. and the Plastic Man running wild with the nefarious Tark at the helm; the present-day Jayhawks are powered by two Iowa-bred white boys, Kirk Hinrich and Nick Collison, and a coach, Roy Williams, who often says "dadgum."
Syracuse boasts the Final Four's biggest star in Carmelo Anthony, who lit up Texas for 33 points. Never mind that he's a freshman and Kansas' two studs, Hinrich and Collison, are seniors -- the (most-likely) NBA-bound Anthony has become a de facto senior in the eyes of the nation.
How they'll wear those coveted championship hats: If you like to base predictions on these sorts of things. (Listed by player/coach, team, style.)
Carmelo Anthony,
Syracuse
sideways, over headband
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Gerry McNamara,
Syracuse
straight back
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Jim Boeheim,
Syracuse
straight ahead
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Kirk Hinrich,
Kansas
slightly cocked
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Nick Collison,
Kansas
straight ahead
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Roy Williams,
Kansas
hatless
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If you're unaffiliated and just looking for a happy ending: Congrats. You're already set. Either way, one of the game's most respected coaches -- Williams or Jim Boeheim -- will win his elusive first championship ... and the other will resume life as college hoops' Phil Mickelson.
A guess at how it'll all go down: The Superdome's storied Final Four history will not repeat itself. There will be no sequel of M.J. or Keith Smart from that legendary corner (and no one shooting in short shorts anywhere, for that matter); nor will there be a technical knockout, a Webber-esque, game-ending gaffe. Kansas will simply out-race the Orangemen and win its first title since 1988.
As the Jayhawks take to the podium, five-time Grammy winner Luther Vandross will swoop onto center court to sing his tourney-special rendition of One Shining Moment. The entire Kansas team and cheering section will join arms and sing along, and Roy Williams will break down and weep. CBS will cut away to a shot of a small child shooting hoops against a weathered barn, Vandross' voice still crooning the soundtrack. The subsequent video montage won't be as good as it was back in the day, and neither will Vandross. But eventually, it'll come back to Roy, holding a piece of the net and crying. And you, the viewer, will cry too, but won't admit to it on Tuesday.
The final pick: Jayhawks 86, Orangemen 82
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