Last Minute Final Four Preview
The Final Four is set, we have the number one seed Gonzaga facing the number 11 seed UCLA while the number one seed Baylor will take on the number two seed Houston.
Baylor 26-2
via CBS
The Baylor Bears have gone through most of the season ranking second in the country. They have a great offense, ranking third in the country, according to Kenpom. However, the Bears defense has struggled lately, ranking 28th. Baylor is a great team overall as they are currently the number one three-point shooting team in the country and are third in defensive turnover percentage.
Davion Mitchell and Jared Butler are the Bears' best players. Mitchell leads the team in assists at 5.3 and is the best three-point shooter, percentage-wise out of the rotation players at 45 percent. He’s also a fantastic defender who has a shot to win the national player of the year. Jared Butler is a high IQ player that scores 16.5 points a game.
MaCio Teague is also a quality scorer from the guard spot at 15.9 points per game.
Adam Flagler is a nice player who comes off the bench but you can expect him to have a bigger role next year.
Matthew Mayer is a long athletic scorer who can score in bunches while Mark Vital, even though undersized, is one of the best defenders in the country.
Houston 28-3
Andy Lyons/Getty Images
The Houston Cougars are a really tough and physical team. They are ranked seventh in the country in offense and eight in the country defensively, according to Kenpom. Offensively, they aren’t a great shooting team but they do a really good job in offensive rebounding, ranking second in the country in offensive rebounding percentage. Defensively, they do a great job contesting shots, ranking first in the country in defensive effective field goal percentage.
This Houston team is led by Kansas transfer Quentin Grimes, a player who was a third-team All-American, scoring 18 points per game and shooting 41.2 percent from three.
Marcus Sasser is a confident shooter that is averaging eight three-point shots per game. DeJon Jarreau is a do it all player averaging 10.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game. Justin Gorham is a beast on the glass for Houston, averaging 8.7 rebounds per game with 3.9 of them coming on offensive possessions.
UCLA 22-9
Sarah Stier/Getty Images
The UCLA Bruins have had an interesting season. After losing their best player in Chris Smith to a torn ACL and center Jalen Hill due to personal reasons, UCLA has made a cinderella run to the Final Four. This Bruin team takes the personality of their coach, Mick Cronin, by playing extremely hard. Defensively, they do a pretty good job contesting everything but this team is led by their offense.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Jules Bernard are great shot makers that can create their shot off the bounce. Bernard can create his shot as well and is a good three-point shooter. Cody Riley is a strong physical big while Tyger Campbell is a good distributor who doesn’t make mistakes.
Gonzaga 30-0
AP Photo
The Gonzaga Bulldogs are trying to be the first team since the 1976 Indiana Hoosiers to finish the season undefeated. The Zags are the number one offensive team in the country and bolsters a top-five defense as well. They play with such great pace, it’s really beneficial for them that every player on their rotation can dribble, pass and shoot.
The Zags have a three-headed monster with three All-Americans in Jalen Suggs, Corey Kispert and Drew Timme. Suggs should be a top-five pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. He is a super explosive guard that has tremendous vision and is a great defender. Kispert on the other hand is a very smart player and is probably the best shooter in the country while Timme is a good ball-handler for a big and is a great low post scorer.
Andrew Nembhard, the transfer from Florida, is great in pick and roll situations and has a solid jumper.
Joel Ayayi rounds out their starting five as a well-rounded player who is a quality rebounder, defender and shooter.
Gonzaga is two wins away from being the first undefeated team in college basketball since 1976. Even though UCLA has had a great run, I see the Zags winning comfortably. For the whole year, we have been talking about Gonzaga and Baylor being the best two teams in the country. Baylor looks to be back to full strength after struggling due to their COVID pause and even though Houston is a great defensive team that rebounds offensively very well, I see Baylor pulling it out and giving us the Gonzaga vs Baylor finale that we’ve all been waiting for.
