All four number one seeds finally reached a Final Four, a feat that had never happened before in the NCAA tournament. It is fitting that it happened this season when the top four teams clearly separated themselves from the rest of the field. The fact that all four reached this point unscathed only validates that fact further. With respect to Georgetown, Tennessee, and Texas the Bruins, Tigers, Tar Heels, and Jayhawks have consistently played the best basketball all year. Now they will battle it out on the biggest stage to determine this year’s champion.

The first national semi-final brings a rematch of the 2005 West Regional final, but don’t expect another 50-45 slugfest in this one. Both teams are much better than their incarnations from two seasons ago.

For Memphis, Joey Dorsey, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Robert Dozier, and Antonio Anderson return from the 2005 team. Douglas-Roberts, Dozier, and Anderson were freshmen then with Dorsey a sophomore. They played supporting roles to Darius Washington and Rodney Carney, but now all four are starters on a far superior team. The addition of Derrick Rose at the point guard position has further elevated the Tigers to elite status.

John Calipari employs the unorthodox attack-attack-skip-attack-attack offense (or if you prefer “dribble-drive motion”) created by Vance Walberg. The offensive style works very well for Memphis because of the superior athletes that dot the roster. Eschewing more traditional ball screens and post-ups, Memphis focuses on dribble penetration and kickouts for three-point shots. Dribble drives also often result in lob passes for dunks when defenses inevitably cheat over to help. Rose and Douglas-Roberts create match-up problems on the perimeter with their size and ability to score in the painted area. When Dorsey and Dozier are playing focused defense and rebounding, the Tigers are very tough to beat. Shawn Taggart provides plenty of size off the bench. Back-up point guard Andre Allen has been suspended for the Final Four, but his absence should not affect Memphis very much. Rose is capable of playing a full 40 minutes, but Douglas-Roberts, Anderson, or Willie Kemp will play reserve minutes at the point if need be.

The big change for UCLA is the presence of freshman Kevin Love inside. Love is the best post player in the nation with his superior rebounding and passing abilities. If he is able to get position down low the result is either a foul or two points. Darren Collison and Russell Westbrook are possibly the best defensive backcourt in the nation, but that comes more from their ability to create on-ball pressure. Against Memphis and the bigger Rose and Douglas-Roberts, the Bruins will need to maintain position to try and deny dribble penetration. Collison and Westbrook will also be counted on to score as Josh Shipp remains mired in a shooting slump. Forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and reserve center Lorenzo Mata-Real may end up playing key roles in this contest if they are able to attack the glass and create easy baskets and second-chance opportunities inside. Both will also be key at the back-end of the Bruin defense against dribble drives.

I give the very slight edge to UCLA due to their big-game experience, and the coaching factor. The Bruins have won countless close games under Ben Howland, and this is the third straight trip to the Final Four. They simply will not be rattled if the game is tight down the stretch, or if they face an early deficit. Memphis has yet to face such a situation this season, and it is unclear how it would respond. The one time the Tigers were in a tough game was against Tennessee at home and they lost the game in the final minute. The Bruins will need to play their best game of the season to pull out a victory, but Howland has shown a great ability to game plan defensively, and the team will certainly be focused after coming up just short the past two seasons. Love’s ability to score inside will be the difference.

North Carolina vs. Kansas

When building the perfect college basketball team the final product would probably look strikingly similar to the current Jayhawks squad. Kansas has three quality post scorers in Darrell Arthur, Sasha Kaun, and Darnell Jackson. Freshman Cole Aldrich, a McDonald’s All-American, provides a quality back-up inside. Brandon Rush has elite level talent and athleticism on the wing. He has great size for the position at 6-6, and is an excellent perimeter shooter (.429 3PT%) and scorer (13.5 career ppg). In the backcourt, Mario Chalmers and Russell Robinson are long, quick, and athletic. Both are terrific defenders and passers, and are quality shooters as well. Sherron Collins comes off the bench, and provides a different look with his strength and ability to penetrate. In short, this team has it all.

North Carolina has probably been the most impressive team thus far in the tournament. Point guard Ty Lawson appears fully recovered from his ankle injury, and has created havoc as a one-man fast break. His ability to push the ball at all times creates the quick uptempo pace that the Tar Heels thrive in. Tyler Hansbrough has elevated his game in the tournament even showing the ability to hit a 15-18 foot jumper that makes him even more difficult to guard. What has been impressive about the Tar Heels is that they have clearly matured over the course of the season. They are defending with much more focus and intensity, and the shot selection on offense is better now as well.

Just looking at the rosters I would pick Kansas to win, but watching both teams all year I’m fairly confident North Carolina will reach the championship game on Monday. The look on Bill Self’s face at the end of the Davidson game told the entire story. There is so much pressure on the Jayhawks that they just do not play fast and loose. They feel the pressure and are starkly aware of the moment, which causes them to play tight and below their potential. The Tar Heels look much more relaxed and determined to win. The tempo should favor Carolina as well with Lawson pushing the ball up the floor at every opportunity. Teams need to stay disciplined ever possession and not get caught up by the pace and pressure the Tar Heels create, and I don’t trust Bill Self and his team to maintain that kind of composure for an entire 40 minutes.