Columnists battle over Final Four

The NCAA Tournament’s Final Four has rematch written all over it.
In one semifinal game Saturday, the Kentucky Wildcats will take on the Louisville Cardinals. The in-state rivals meet every year during the regular season, with Kentucky winning the 2011-12 battle by seven points in December.
The other semifinal — the Ohio State Buckeyes vs. the Kansas Jayhawks — will also pit two teams that played against each other in December.
There’s a third rematch coming as well.
After we both had successful opening days in The Commercial Review’s bracket challenge, county reporter Steve Garbacz hoped out loud that the competition would come down to the two of us so we could reprise the point-counterpoint column we produced for the Super Bowl. That is exactly what has happened.
If Ohio State takes the title I finish in first place, while Steve is guaranteed victory in every other conceivable situation.
So go for it Steve. Take the first shot. Just don’t come crying to me when I beat you again.

SG: Picking the overall No. 1 is risky, because it’s generally the most popular pick to win it all. But I looked at Kentucky and couldn’t find a good reason not to go with it. Thankfully I managed to outscore the field of Kentucky-pickers in earlier rounds to get in this position.
I can’t write off Louisville. They played Kentucky tough and I wouldn’t want to ignore Rick Pitino’s talents as a coach. But since the 64-team expansion in 1985, a No. 4 seed or lower has only won it all only three times. I’ll play the odds against the Cardinals.
Besides, with Kentucky, there’s just too much talent. ESPN’s Chad Ford’s draft predictions has the Wildcats’ Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist as No. 1 and 2 draft prospects.
They’ve got six players who average double figures, with Davis leading the way at 14.3 points per game, so it’s not like one player is totally dominating. That’s going to be tough to control.

RC: I only win if the Buckeyes win it all. And they will.
The first step to that goal is beating Kansas.
The Jayhawks handed Ohio State a loss in December in which the Buckeyes shot just 39 percent while Kansas hit for 58 percent. But that game was in Allen Fieldhouse, and, more importantly, it was without Jared Sullinger.
Now a two-time All-American, Sullinger leads the Buckeyes in scoring (17.6 points per game) and rebounds (9.1) while shooting 53 percent from the field. He’ll make all the difference on both ends of the floor.

SG: It was obvious from the start we were going to talk Kentucky-OSU, so let’s.
I hate to admit it, but Sullinger is a beast down low. I can only assume that he and Davis will be in each other’s faces all night. Davis’s ability as a shot-blocker (4.6 per game) will be key.
The more interesting match-up will be Kidd-Gilchrist and OSU’s Deshaun Thomas. Both are capable of big nights, but the advantage goes to Kidd-Gilchrist, who’s the better defender. He’ll be able to keep Thomas, who has played above his level the last two games, in check.

RC: Ohio State responds to the Wildcats’ six players scoring in double figures with plenty of offensive punch as its averages 75 points per game. And Sullinger and Thomas are better individual scorers than anyone on the Kentucky roster.
While the teams are neck-and-neck when it comes to offensive and defensive efficiency, there is one area in which the Buckeyes are clearly superior. They rank second in the country in defensive rebound percentage compared to 85th for Kentucky.
OSU will ride its advantage on the glass against the Wildcats.

SG: Kentucky boasts a higher offensive rebounding percentage. They also average more rebounds per game, more blocks, more points per game, more free throw attempts, a higher field goal percentage, a lower turnover rate and fewer fouls.
And we all know John Calipari will do whatever it takes to win, NCAA regulations notwithstanding.
Unfortunately I end up on the unpopular side again probably displeasing IU fans (although as a Purdue grad I can’t say that bothers me too much) as well as the OSU-loving Fort Recovery market, but sorry.
Kentucky’s just the best team in it.
RC: Kentucky was the best team during the regular season. But since the NCAA started naming a No. 1 overall seed in 2004, only one team — Joakim Noah’s 2007 repeat national champion Florida squad — has gone on to win it all.
Ohio State is better than the Wildcats defensively and better on the glass, not to mention that it played the second-toughest schedule in the country this season.
And thank you so much for bringing up the scandal-waiting-to-happen that is John Calipari. I’ll take Thad Matta, the former Butler player and coach, over him any day of the week, especially Monday.
I mean, a guy who was born in a place called Hoopeston has to be destined to lead a team to an NCAA title, right?

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