There are only 4 teams left in the 2012 NCAA Tournament. Among the 4 teams, only one is No.1 seed (Kentucky). Two No.2 seed (Kansas and Ohio St.) are there while Louisville is the lowest seed at No.4. Here are the match-ups of this year’s Final Four.
Kansas Jayhawks (31-6) vs. Ohio State Buckeyes (31-7)
Road to Final 4:
Kansas won over:
No.15 Detroit 65-50
No.10 Purdue 63-60
No.11 North Carolina St. 60-57
No.1 North Carolina 80-67 to win the Midwest Region
Ohio State won over:
No.15 Loyola (MD) 78-59
No.7 Gonzaga 73-66
No.6 Cincinnati 81-66
No.1 Syracuse 77-70 to win the East Region
Key Players:
Kansas
Thomas Robinson, Junior /Forward/6’10″ (17.7 ppg 11.9 rpg .517 FG%)
Tyshawn Taylor, Senior /Guard/6’3″ (16.6 ppg 4.7 apg 1.3 spg)
Jeff Withey, Junior /Center/7’0″ (9.5 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 3.5 bpg)
Ohio State
Jared Sullinger, Sophomore /Forward/6’9″ (17.6 ppg 9.1 rpg .531 FG%)
Deshaun Thomas, Sophomore /Forward/6’7″ (16.1 ppg 5.4 rpg .531 FG%)
William Buford, Senior /Guard/6’6″ (14.4 ppg, 4.9 rpg 2.7 apg)
Previous Encounter:
(13) Kansas 78 – 67 (2) Ohio State (December 10, 2011 at Phog Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence, KS)
Kansas gave Ohio State their first defeat of the 2011-12 season. Jared Sullinger did not play for the Buckeyes due to injury. The match was played in Kansas.
Players of the match:
Thomas Robinson (Kansas) 21 points 7 rebounds
Tyshawn Taylor (Kansas) 9 points 13 assists
William Buford (Ohio State) 21 points
Post-season history:
Kansas: 14th Final Four appearance; Last Title Match: 2008 (won the national title)
Ohio State: 11th Final Four appearance; Last Title Match: 2007 (lost to Florida)
Game Outlook:
It will be an exciting battle of the big men as Jared Sullinger will match up against Tomas Robinson. This will be one of the first battles between the two as they will soon embark strut their stuff in the NBA. Jeff Withey will also play a critical role in clogging the lane for Jaywalks. The Buckeyes’ wingmen cannot be taken for granted in this game. Prediction 71-69 for the Jayhawks 
Kentucky Wildcats (36-2) vs. Louisville Cardinals (30-9)
Road to Final 4:
Kentucky won over:
No.16 Western Kentucky 81-66
No. 8 Iowa St. 87-71
No.4 Indiana 104-90
No.3 Baylor 82-70 to win the South Region
Louisville won over:
No.13 Davidson 69-62
No.5 New Mexico 59-56
No. 1 Michigan State 57-44
No.7 Florida 72-68 to win the West Region
Key Players:
Kentucky
Anthony Davis, Freshman /Forward/6’10″ (14.2 ppg 10.1 rpg 4.6 bpg)
Doron Lamb, Sophomore /Guard/6’4″ (13.6 ppg 1.5 apg .474 3FG%)
Terence Jones, Sophomore /Forward/6’9″ (12.6 ppg 7.1 rpg 1.7bpg)
Louisville
Kyle Kuric, Senior /Guard-Forward/6’4″ (12.7 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.2 apg)
Russ Smith, Sophomore /Guard/6’0″ (11.6 ppg, 2.0 apg, 2.2 spg)
Gorgui Deng, Sophomore/Center/6’11″ (9.2 ppg 9.0 rpg 3.2 bpg)
Previous Encounter:
(3) Kentucky 69 – 62 (4) Louisville (December 31, 2011 at Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY)
Freshman Michael Kidd-Gilchrist exploded with 24 points and 19 rebounds to lead Kentucky to a victory at home. The Wildcats outscored the Cardinals 28-22 in the last 14 minutes of the game to pull-away from a slim 41-40 lead. Russ Smith scored 30 points off the bench for Louisville.
Post-season history:
Kentucky: 15th Final Four appearance; Made it also to last year’s Final 4
Louisville: 9th Final Four appearance, last time was in 1995
Game Outlook:
Kentucky last won a title under Coach Rick Pitino who is now mentoring the surprising Cardinals. Kentucky’s John Calipari has been to many Final Fours but he has never won a title yet. The big men of the Wildcats could dominate but Deng has been a rock for the Cardinals under the basket. The one who can dictate the tempo will win. Prediction: Kentucky 74-65
