Final Four Preview: Part 1--The Locks

By Joseph Barry on October 18, 2012

College Basketball is right around the corner, and I could not be more ecstatic. It may only be October, but my mind is already thinking ahead to what teams will be left standing on the first weekend of April at the Final Four. I, like the rest of college basketball enthusiasts everywhere, would like to think I know exactly who will make it to Atlanta, but the truth is there is still a lot of basketball to be played, considering Midnight Madness (the first official practice for college basketball teams across the country) just took place on October 12. I’m here to provide you with my preseason picks, but I want to analyze my predictions from a different angle.

Right off the bat, I think that Indiana, Louisville, and Kentucky fans can already start booking their flights and hotels to Atlanta. Indiana (a Sweet 16 team a year ago) and Louisville (a Final Four team) each return an incredible amount of experience. As for Indiana, it boasts the best center in the country, and the possible #1 draft pick come the NBA draft in June. The team is upperclassmen heavy but also claimed a top 15 recruiting class of incoming freshmen.

Tom Crean is confident IU can compete for a National Championship this season; photo from btownbanners.com

Louisville returns a majority of the players that took them to the Final Four last year. Floor leader and preseason Cousy Award finalist (for the best point guard in the country) Peyton Siva returns to break down defenses and cause mayhem for defenders. Wayne Blackshear is back after an injury caused him to miss a majority of last season. I see no reason to believe Rick Pitino will allow his team to achieve anything less than a trip to Hotlanta.

Kentucky lost all five starters from last season’s dominant national championship team. When this happens in most cases, a team takes a giant leap backwards (i.e. both Florida after 2007 and North Carolina after 2009, championships for each school respectively, failed to even make the NCAA tournament), but you’d have to been foolish not to believe Calipari can lead his team to the Final Four. It’s a story that is beginning to get a little old, but I’m still amazed by Calipari’s ability to consistently field top 5 teams after losing a number of first round draft picks to the NBA each season. If history tells us anything, this team will be playing as well as any other team in the country by March.

These are my locks–check out part two to see what teams I think can legitimately contend for that fourth and final spot.

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