Goin' out in style

KU will get the job done, courtesy of Collison and Hinrich

NEW ORLEANS -- It’s not often the college basketball season ends with a bona fide storybook ending, but this year it’s guaranteed. Imagine: Either Jim Boeheim or Roy Williams is going to hoist the NCAA championship trophy tonight in the Louisiana Superdome. That moment is something that each man’s many detractors have long predicted would never come to pass. It’s not easy to choose from two such delectable denouments, but no task is too daunting for my faithful Hoopheads. So once more now, with feeling:

Kansas will win.

Here are five reasons why:

1. Two seniors trump one freshman. True, Carmelo Anthony is the best player in the tournament, but the experience of Kirk Hinrich and Nick Collison is even more invaluable, especially given the pressurized setting. I’m not saying Anthony will feel any pressure -- I’m not even certain the guy has a pulse out there -- but the mindset adopted by the Jayhawks’ two seniors trickles down through the entire roster. That makes Kansas nearly impossible to beat.

2. Kansas’ unique style. Everyone talks about how much success Syracuse has had with the 2-3 zone, but most players have at least some working experience against zones. Kansas’ fast and secondary breaks are far more unusual, and the Jayhawks are running them with remarkable precision. Unlike Marquette, Syracuse does have the overall team speed to get back in transition, but stopping the Jayhawks' breaks is more about strategy and decision-making than anything else. As good a coach as Boeheim is, there’s no way he can teach his team those nuances in 48 hours.

Monday, April 7, 2003 Tournament Central | Scoreboard

SI.com Coverage

• Davis: Kansas will get it done

• Tale of the Tape | Marquee Matchup

• Pickoff: Finally, it's Roy's turn

• Mandel: Winning isn't everything

• Notebook: Langford, Rose alike

• Brackets: Main | Challenge

National Championship Game

No. 2 Kansas vs. No. 3 Syracuse, 9:22 p.m.

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3. Collison’s shooting range. We all know that a zone provides open looks for the three, but the most vulnerable area in that defense is in the high post. That’s exactly the part of the floor where Collison feels most comfortable, so you can expect him to flash from elbow to elbow all night. Not only is it easier to get Collison the ball there than in the low block, but he can knock down that jumper consistently. If the defense collapses on him, Collison can dump it down to Jeff Graves or throw a reverse pass to an open Hinrich on the opposite wing. It says here that Collison will have a double-double tonight -- in points and assists.

4. Kansas’ bench. Was it only four months ago that so many of us were writing that the Jayhaws’ lack of a bench would be their death knell? Technically, Syracuse has a deeper rotation -- eight players to Kansas’ seven -- but I have a hunch the reserve tandem of Michael Lee and Bryant Nash will make a real difference tonight. Lee gave the Jayhawks a great lift Saturday when he scored 13 points (and making all three of his 3-point attempts) against Marquette. Nash had three points and four rebounds in 18 solid minutes, but I expect he’ll be even more of a factor tonight because he’s probably the best-suited of anyone on the team to defend Anthony. (To the extent, that is, that anyone can really defend Anthony.)

5. The destiny factor. Three years ago, Williams had the chance to take his dream job at North Carolina, but he turned down the opportunity largely because he wanted to coach Collison and Hinrich. Whatever happens tonight, this is the last time those three are going to be on the same team, and I just can’t picture them going out with a loss -- especially with the Carolina job calling Williams once again.

It is almost cruel to think of Boeheim coming up empty in the national title game for the third time, but unfortunately there’s only one storybook ending up for the taking this evening. It says here Williams will write the final chapter of the 2002-03 college basketball season. The question of whether that will also close the book on his 14 years in Lawrence can wait for another day.

Sports Illustrated staff writer Seth Davis covers college basketball for the magazine and is a regular contributor to SI.com. Davis' first book, Equinunk, Tell Your Story: My Return to Summer Camp, is available through Chandler House Press.

 

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Final Four notebook Previous Seth Davis Columns SI.com's History of the Final Four Mandel: Led by freshmen, Syracuse charges into title game Mandel: Winning national title not everything to Williams, Boeheim

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