And then there were four. The Final Four is here and the matchups are definitely interesting. The teams remaining are the Baylor Bears, the Houston Cougars, the Gonzaga Bulldogs, and the UCLA Bruins.
The number 1 overall seed Gonzaga has been cruising past their opponents. In the Sweet 16 they beat 5 seed Creighton 83 to 65. Then in the Elite 8 they defeated 6 seed USC 85 to 66. Gonzaga made it to the Final Four in the 2017 tournament, and now they are back in it again.
Baylor has been taking care of business as well. In the Sweet 16 they beat 5 seed Villanova 62 to 51. In the Elite 8 they beat 3 seed Arkansas 81 to 72. This is Baylor’s first Final Four appearance since 1950.
The next Final Four team is Houston. In the Sweet 16 they took down 11 seed Syracuse 62 to 46. Then in the Elite 8 they defeated 12 seed Oregon State 67 to 61. This is Houston’s first Final Four appearance since 1984.
Then there is this year’s Cinderella team, the 11 seed UCLA Bruins. They have had an incredible run from the First Four to the Final Four. In the Sweet 16 they played Alabama in an amazing game. Alabama made a crazy buzzer beating 3 pointer to send the game into Overtime. But UCLA upset 2 seed Alabama by winning 88 to 78. In the Elite 8 UCLA had another stunning upset, as they beat 1 seed Michigan 51 to 49. No 11 seed has ever advanced to the Championship game. The lowest seed to make it to the Championship game is an 8 seed. UCLA is only the fifth 11 seed team to ever make it to the Final Four. This is the Bruins first Final Four appearance since 2008, and it is their 19th Final Four appearance. UCLA is the only team in this year’s Final Four who has actually won a title, and they have won it 11 times.
With a Championship game berth on the line 11 seed UCLA will be taking on 1 seed Gonzaga. Gonzaga has been playing outstanding offense and defense. It will be interesting to see how UCLA plays against them. The other game in the Final Four is 2 seed Houston against 1 seed Baylor. Houston is one of the best defensive teams in the country. Baylor also has a great defense, and they have a fantastic offense. These Final Four matchups are really intriguing.
Great blog for the week, again something I’m really interested in, so I was happy to read this all. One thing I was thinking while I was reading is I wish that you inputed some of your own opinions. I am really interested to know what your thoughts are on who is going to win it all? Or what teams you like to watch?
This was a very interesting and crazy tournament so far. Baylor vs Gonzaga are in the Championship and it is going to be a great game. Suggs hit a game winning shot vs UCLA to advance was crazy. I got Gonzaga beating Baylor in the Championship.