Okay Darth - here is what I have to say about the championship game.
On the UConn side, Napier and Boatwright are flat out ballers. They are both great ball handlers. Napier has nasty one-on-one moves. DeAndre Daniels is also a playmaker and a dynamic 3-4 combo player (as well as a player who, gasp, thanked God on national TV "for making all of this possible" after UConn's win over Florida; I hope Bill "The Obscene Ignoramus" Maher didn't see that). Giffey, the player from Germany, has a scorer's mentality.
On the Kentucky side, the Harrison twins are at a disadvantage against Napier and Boatwright, but the rest of their team will likely cover for them if they struggle on either end. James Young is a very smart player; he passes well, drives well, and has a very good lefty shot, with touch. Poythress and Marcus Lee, with their tremendous athleticism, are both excellent players to have for the purposes of finishing near the basket on alley-oops and put-backs and also for snaring rebounds. The back-up guard Dominique Hawkins may be very useful in this game when it comes to defending Napier and Boatwright. And then, most of all, there is Julius Randle. He is the most talented player on the court in this game. The key for him is to stay out of trouble and make sure that he doesn't allow UK to go away from him for long stretches. He has to get consistent touches and make sure that he really puts his imprint on the game. He is capable of taking this game over and it will be played at a comfortable pace for him. If Kentucky goes through Randle enough, this one could become a scenario of "theirs for the taking".
Overall, this game is too close to call. UConn has a clear advantage at the guard spots, but the Harrison twins are capable of producing some great stretches. Kentucky clearly has the interior and wing advantage, even though Daniels is very talented all-around and Giffey can score a good bit; however, it is possible to imagine Daniels having a great game that more or less neutralizes this Kentucky interior advantage. Kentucky has not blown out anyone in the tournament, with all of their games being very close, and UConn has been in a slew of tight games as well. Both coaches emphasize physical defense and they have instilled a very tough mindset in their players that generally keeps the game from getting away from their teams, so it is unlikely that one team will pull away.
All in all, this one is just too close to call. Although if I absolutely had to make a pick, I'd give a slight edge to Kentucky here, even though I love how Napier and Boatwright play.
