The NCAA National Championship - And then there were Four

Brackets have been blown to shreds, tournament favorites have been ousted and a home team is going to the dance. Yes, the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship is down to the Final Four and all the madness happens this coming weekend from Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan.

What a story this is for Tom Izzo and his Michigan State Spartans. They knew coming into this season that the championship would be in their backyard, and here they are, about to play for it all in front of a home crowd that will be nothing short of fanatical.

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It wasn’t an easy road for the Spartans as they had to defeat the top team in the tournament on Sunday, the Louisville Cardinals. They controlled the pace of the game and seemed to come up with a big shot anytime the Cards got any sniff of momentum. With their 64-52 win in the Midwest Regional, the mean green face a very good Uconn squad that will be played before a crowd of approximately 72,000 people, WOW.

Connecticut was the most impressive of all the 1 seeds in the tournament and is making their third Final Four appearance in school history. The numbers are on their side as they have won it all in both previous trips.

Jim Calhoun put together a team that just seems built to go all the way. The roster has an excellent mix of experience and talent that has been able to overcome the loss of Jerome Dyson and push forward. They obliterated the West Region, winning with offence from several different players and a tenacious team defense that resulted in some lopsided wins.

North Carolina also stamped their ticket to Detroit next weekend with a convincing victory over Oklahoma. There was much to do about the matchup between Blake Griffin and Tyler Hansbrough but as many had predicted, it turned out to be a battle between everyone else. It was the Tar Heels depth and talent that far outplayed the Sooner squad and despite Griffin’s best efforts, they couldn’t match up against Ty Lawson and Danny Green who had 19 and 18 points respectively.

North Carolina advanced to the Final Four for the second straight year and will play the Villanova Wildcats in the national semifinals. What is interesting to note is that UNC has played at Detroit’s Ford Field once already this year, and they routed Michigan State 98-63.

Villanova is back in the Final Four for the fist time in 24 years and it is in huge part to a Scottie Reynolds last second layup that crushed the hearts of Pitt fans across the nation. Just when it looked as though the Panthers were on their way to overtime, Reynolds darted in from half-court and hit a fall away rim-skimmer to lift the Wildcats to a 78-76 victory in the East Regional final. The shot has my vote as the most exciting buzzer-beater thus far in the tournament.

Notice how I said thus far because this weekend should produce three games that all go down to the wire. BetUS has March Madness odds on each matchup and analysis from some of the best handicappers in the country. Not only can you enjoy the excitement of March Madness , but you can cash in on the action as well!