Forseeing the Final Four

Who will be the National Champion come Monday? Many of the experts are picking Florida. Coach Billy Donovan has been to the Final Four before, they're a dominant team down low, and a number of analysts say the Gators have the best player in Indianapolis this weekend: the versatile Joakim Noah.

But I'm picking LSU. I love the athleticism of Tyrus Thomas; he's a monster on both sides of the floor. Glen Davis is as talented as Noah, in my opinion, and he's stronger in the post. Senior Darrel Mitchell runs the point with poise, and he has a knack for knocking down clutch shots. Their complementary players, namely freshman wing Tasmin Mitchell, gel well with the rest of the Tigers, and they all play with an incredible intensity on the defensive end that will rattle the other teams in Indy this weekend.

Versus UCLA, I expect the Bruins to hang around for awhile, but the Tigers should wear them down in the second half and win, 73-61.

In the other semifinal, I expect George Mason to play some great basketball and put on a nice passing display. But I think Florida's power, especially on the offensive boards, will in the end tucker out the Patriots and their magnificent Cindarella run. Gators 68, Patriots 63.

Then, Monday night, the SEC Championship Game will be re-enacted at the National level. Florida won that one three weeks ago by 16. But that was against a hobbled Tyrus Thomas. He's healthy now, and explosive as any college player I've seen in a long time. I expect him to have a jaw-dropping weekend, full of emphatic dunks and dejecting (for his opponents) rejections. He'll be the tournament's MOP, and the Tigers will win it all Monday, 80-74, bringing joy to Louisiana, a place where it's desperately needed -- perhaps moreso than anywhere else in this country.