Big 12 will rule the weekend

ATLANTA -- As great as the Final Four is, it kills me that the two best teams (Kansas and Maryland) are playing each other on Saturday. I'm having bad flashbacks to 1996, when Kentucky and UMass played the real title game in the semis, subjecting us to (ugh) Syracuse-Kentucky in the final. The NCAA's refusal to seed the Final Four is even dumber than baseball's refusal to give home-field advantage to the World Series team with the better regular-season record -- and it deprives fans of the best title game possible. ... Strangest moment in Madison last week: We know Roy Williams likes starting mosh pits with his players after big wins, but I was in no way prepared for what happened when Williams walked by me at the Kohl Center on Thursday. He gave me "The Bone," the hip-hop knuckle bump, perhaps the first time it had ever been used by someone over the age of 35. ...

The plight of the successful mid-major: No fewer than three Gonzaga coaches have been contacted for open jobs: head coach Mark Few (by Washington), top assistant Billy Grier (by Boise State before the Broncos hired Oregon assistant Greg Graham) and No. 2 assistant Leon Rice (by Montana). ... For what it's worth, Drew Gooden's dad, Andrew, told me last weekend that he hopes his son stays in Lawrence another year to get his degree. He also added, though, that it's going to be "100 percent Drew's decision." ... Ran into Oregon quarterback Joey Harrington in Mad-town last week. Captain Comeback (who had flown in on Phil Knight's private plane) donned a blond wig and led cheers in the Ducks' fan section. ... For all you meatheads last week who thought Gooden was cracking that the 'Bag Lady was ugly, think again: I almost punched his arm after he said, "Man, is that your wife? She's ... beautiful." The 'Bag Lady appreciates the love, pal, and was further amused by another recent exchange. Me: "So I hear your girlfriend is Asian." Gooden: "Naw, she's Thai."

Here's a preview of Saturday's games ...

Kansas vs. Maryland

No fewer than three Jayhawks (Gooden, Nick Collison and Jeff Carey) told me last week that they thought Kansas-Maryland was a better matchup for the fans than Kansas-Duke would have been. These rosters are so similar as to be eerie. You have athletic big men (Collison and Gooden for Kansas, Chris Wilcox and Tahj Holden for Maryland), inside bangers (Wayne Simien and Lonny Baxter), creative scoring guards (Kirk Hinrich and Juan Dixon), deadeye shooters (Jeff Boschee and Drew Nicholas), steady point guards (Aaron Miles and Steve Blake) and explosive bench guys (Keith Langford and Ryan Randle).

In my mind, the key matchup will be the freshman Simien (coming off the bench) against Baxter. If Simien can be a roadblock against the bruising Baxter (or get him into foul trouble), then I like the Jayhawks to win. Collison and Gooden get down the court so fast and are so well conditioned that I don't think the Terps have the personnel to keep up with them. The guard matchups are a wash -- Dixon deserved to be a first-team All-America, but Hinrich should have been on the second team (somehow he didn't even make the third team; go figure).

I also think tournament experience is overrated, at least in this case. Anyone who saw the three Kansas freshmen (Langford, Miles and Simien) save the Jayhawks' butts against Illinois knows what I'm talking about. Only Miles starts, but the fact is, all three would be starting on nearly every other team in the country.

The final analysis: Look for some serious inside play combined with fullcourt speed in what should be an extremely entertaining game. The Jayhawks' inside guys have the slightest of edges with their athleticism, though, which will be the difference.

The Pick: Kansas

Oklahoma vs. Indiana

Why do I feel like this is the undercard, the opening act for the show everyone really wants to see? All respect to the Sooners, who have out-toughed everyone they've faced in the tournament, but it ain't the most aesthetically pleasing style to watch. As for Indiana, you get the feeling the Hoosiers don't have another gargantuan upset in them, particularly if Tom Coverdale isn't at full strength. No shame in that. Mike Davis' post-Duke celebration may well remain the lasting image of this year's tournament.

What OU-IU comes down to is this: Whereas Kent State felt like it was capable of either shutting down Jared Jeffries or Indiana's 3-point shooters, Oklahoma can put the clamps on both. (By the way, was there ever a better argument for moving out the 3-point line to the international distance than the Hoosiers' 15-for-19 show last weekend?) The scariest thing about the Sooners was how easily they put away a very good Arizona team in the West Regional semifinals, as if the Wildcats were North Texas State or something. Quality, quality stuff.

The Pick: Oklahoma

Enjoy the weekend.

Sports Illustrated senior writer Grant Wahl covers college basketball for the magazine and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com.

 

Related information
Stories
Grant Wahl's Insider Archive CNNSI.com's NCAA tournament coverage
Multimedia
Visit Video Plus for the latest audio and video
Search our site	Watch CNN/SI 24 hours a day
	Sports Illustrated and CNN have combined to form a 24 hour sports news and information channel. To receive CNN/SI at your home call your cable operator or DirecTV.