Okay, let's start with the negative. Here are some things that scare the hell out of me tonight:
*Derek Williams. Enough said. The Huskies don't have a guy who really matches up well. Put Roscoe Smith on him, he can go inside and use his power. Put Alex Oriakhi on him, Williams can shoot the three or drive by him to the hole. It is, in a lot of ways, a no-win situation. It has to be a team defensive scheme, cause if they put one guy on him, it could get ugly.
*Zona's front court is strong and athletic. So was SDSU. Now, you could look and say "hey, they beat SDSU" and that would be true, but anyone who watched that second half knows SDSU got virtually whatever they wanted in the low post. That will be tough to overcome again.
*How many games can you expect Kemba Walker to be Kemba Walker? I mean, it's eight straight games. Even Michael Jordan had a down game or two. It seems easy to pencil a guy in for 35 points every night, but you can't do that for the elite players at the NBA level. Kemba is AMAZING, but I worry that he is due for an off night.
*Same applies to the team. They haven't just won eight straight games. They have won the majority of those games against top-flight opponents. Again, even the best teams get nipped. Is game 9 the game that happens?
*Uconn needs more than just Lamb and Kemba on the offensive side of the ball. They need double-digit points from some combination of Roscoe, Shabazz, Oriakhi, Coombs-McDaniels. They can't just say "hey, Kemba and Jeremy, go get us 65 points tonight. That's a lot to ask. And, remember, Lamb is still a freshman.
Now, for the things I like:
*I think this Mo Mo kid has an ego and, since he and Kemba are friends, he might want to play mono on mono. That would be a good thing. The more Zona gets away from Williams, the better that is for Uconn. Plus, while this Mo Mo kid is good, he aint Kemba. In a one-on-one battle, give me Kemba.
*Zona has been a streaky, up-and-down team all year long. They lost games to USC this year in the Pac 10, got blown out a few times, had to win in the final minute against an average Memphis team, played lights out in the first half against Texas, then let them back in the game in the second half and probably should have lost if not for the terrible 5 second call on the Longhorns, and then allowed themselves to get down by double digits to Duke in the first half of their Sweet Sixteen game before roaring back and beating the Blue Devils like a drum. In other words, Zona can throw a clunker out there. If I'm worried about an off night from Uconn, I am also pysched at the concept that Zona, coming off the high of beating Duke, might throw up a bad game.
*As great as Williams is, he needs someone else to get him the ball. Kemba will have the ball in his hands whenever he wants. If you're picking a star player, Kemba is probably the safer bet.
*Uconn didn't play great against SDSU and found a way to win. They found that way by riding Kemba and Lamb. No one doubts that Kemba needs to have another great game, but Uconn, as a whole, has better basketball in them than what they showed against SDSU. Shabazz played poorly (which can happen at any time), Roscoe shaky, Oriakhi inconsistent, and Coombs-McDaniels horrid. Again, just not a lot from other people. If they get good games from Lamb and Kemba, and then the other guys step up, hey, they could look like the team that beat Louisville in the BE Finals, a game good enough to beat almost anyone in the country.
*I like Jim Calhoun in this game over the Xavier coach. Just saying.
*I like Uconn's consistency over Zona's athleticism. Oh, and by the way, this idea that Uconn is throwing a bunch of hard-working stiffs out there, I don't buy. Lamb is as athletic as anyone in basketball, as is Roscoe, and Oriakhi, if he plays like The Beast, is a load for any team, anywhere, to handle.
I am scared of this game, but my Uconn heart says Uconn 78-73 over Zona. We will see. GOOOO UCONN!!!!!!!!!!!!
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