The field of 65 is now down to the final two after last night’s national semifinal games. And, after last night I don’t think anyone can doubt that the final game includes the two best teams in the country. Memphis easily handled a very popular UCLA team in the first game 78-63 and Kansas took a huge lead early and held off a North Carolina comeback to win 84-66, setting the stage for a Memphis/Kansas final on Monday evening.

The Memphis Tigers were led again by their two All-American guards, freshman Derek Rose and junior Chris Douglas-Roberts who combined for 53 of the 78 Memphis points. These two players, who are destined for NBA stardom, are that much better than any other guard tandem in college basketball and are a serious match up problem for any team they play. Of their 53 combined points, 20 of them came from the charity stripe on 23 attempts. Rose went 11-for-12 and Douglas-Roberts went 9-for-11. Interestingly, the two players were the only Tigers to get to the line. Maybe this was Coach Calipari’s strategy for fixing their free-throw woes (61% for the year), only allowing his two best-free throw shooters to get there (Rose and Douglas-Roberts, 71%). Senior Joey Dorsey did not score any points, but made his contribution by bringing down 15 rebounds, six of them on the offensive side. Forward Shawn Taggart came off the bench for 22 minutes and scored seven points and grabbed seven boards.

UCLA led 12-11 four and half minutes into the game, but Derek Rose’s lay up put Memphis in the lead for good. UCLA kept it close during the first twenty minutes of the game going into halftime 38-35, but a 10-2 run to start the second half put Memphis up by 11 and UCLA couldn’t fight their way back. UCLA was led by sophomore guard Russell Westbrook who scored 22 points on 10 for 19 shooting. Freshman Kevin Love, who most likely played his last game for UCLA, finished with 12 points and nine rebounds. This was UCLA’s third straight final four appearance and the third straight time they finished empty handed.

The nightcap featured another future NBA star Brandon Rush and his Kansas Jayhawks. On 11-for-17 shooting, Rush dropped in 25 points including 12 in a 40-to-12 run to start the game. The lead looked too big for any team to come back from, especially with the way Kansas was out-everthinging (made up word?) UNC. But, with five minutes left in the first half, Tarheel junior Danny Green sparked a 15-to-4 run with eight points on his own to close the half at 44-27.

The comeback didn’t stop there. With UNC not slowing down any, they came out firing, cutting the lead to 54-50. However, coming back from a deficit that big spends a lot of energy and the Tarheels couldn’t get any closer. Kansas finally regrouped and again took control of the game getting the lead back to 10 points, 71-61, with four and a half minutes left to play. Kansas guard Sherron Collins came off the bench with 11 points, four assists and four rebounds. AP Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough finished with 17 points and nine rebounds. Wayne Ellington led all UNC players with 18.

Monday night’s game will feature two of the best guards in the country squaring off against each other with Kansas’ Brandon Rush and Memphis’ Chris Douglas-Roberts. Both are 6-6 and can play inside and outside. The winner of this battle could ultimately help lead their team to a national title.

For the first time in NCAA Tournament history, all four number one seeds advanced to the final four. While most are commending the selection committee for their brilliant seeding this year, I view the glass as half empty. This is the only time since 1985 (first year with 64 teams) that the selection committee got it right. The brackets are supposed to protect the best teams in the country and allow them the easiest route to the Final Four. Shouldn’t all number one seeds represent the Final Four more often? After three sentences, I now view the glass as half full. This is the beauty of the single-elimination NCAA Tournament. Any team can catch a hot hand and send the loser packing. In a five-game or seven-game series, the better team almost always prevails.

The Philadelphia 76ers would have won the NBA Championship in 2001 if the Finals were only one game, but they played a seven-game series and the Lakers won the next four. The Lakers were clearly the better team. In that same year, Jamaal Tinsley’s number two seed Iowa State Cyclones (25-6) lost to the number 15 seed Hampton Pirates in one of the biggest upsets in tournament history. And that was it. Iowa State went home and Hampton advanced. That is the beauty of this tournament. One and done. Would Iowa State have won in a five or seven-game series? Most likely, but college teams need to out-play, out-hustle, out-gut, and play their best in every single game or they’re going home. This is what makes the 2008 NCAA Tournament so special. The four best teams in the country all season long did out-play, out-hustle, and out-gut every opponent and they are the lone teams left standing. Each team is playing at their best with only three more games left to play. Furthermore, there is no clear-cut favorite which makes this one of the most anticipated Final Fours in tournament history.

Let’s take a look at who is left.

East regional winner: North Carolina Tar Heels
They are the overall number one seed in the tournament and it’s no surprise to see them in the final four. Their lineup is stacked and their bench could’ve probably formed another team to play in the tournament. They are led by All-American and ESPN.com Player Of The Year Tyler Hansbrough. He is the heart and soul of this team with an endless motor. In their victory over Louisville it was Hansbrough who scored seven straight points when Louisville tied the game at 59. And it was Hansbrough who made consecutive two-point jumpers that helped his team withstand the Cardinals comeback when they had cut the lead to five with three minuets left to play. Hansbrough is leading his team with 21 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. With Hansbrough and teammates Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington (both averaging 15 points per game in the tournament) all possibly leaving next year for the NBA, this could be their last shot at a National Championship.

Midwest regional winner: Kansas Jayhawks
They ended Stephen Curry and Davidson’s Cinderella run. It wasn’t easy, but in a balanced effort led by center Sasha Kaun’s (off the bench) perfect effort from the field going 6-6 for 13 points and six rebounds the Jayhawks advanced to the final four for the first time under coach Bill Self. Kansas is one of the best defensive teams in the country. Mario Chalmers and Russell Robinson have combined for 18 steals in the tournament and the Kansas team has held their opponents to 57 points per game. Chalmers also leads his team in scoring averaging 15 points per game and junior Brandon Rush is averaging 14.5 a game. The Jayhawks are going to play against their former coach, Roy Williams, next weekend in San Antonio. Williams started coaching Kansas in 1988 until he left for UNC in 2003. This only adds to the drama of a matchup that already has a storied history.

West regional winner: UCLA Bruins
The Bruins advanced to their third straight final four with their convincing victory over Xavier on Saturday 76-57. The Bruins are led by freshman Kevin Love who probably is the best player in the country. The 6-10 center understands the importance of having an inside prescence and plays effectively with his back to the basket. He can score, pass, and rebound with the best of them. Love is averaging 21.8 points (61% shooting) and 11 rebounds per game. Guards Russell Westbrook and Darren Collison have combined for 94 points to help support their big man’s dominance. Similar to UNC, UCLA’s window for the National Championship could be getting shut after with Love, Westbrook, and Collison all considered possibilities for the NBA draft next season.

South regional winner: Memphis Tigers
Despite one game where they had trouble on the free throw line (Mississippi State) the Tigers have completely dominated their opponents in the tournament. Their most impressive win was their 85-67 victory over Texas yesterday in front of almost 30,000 Longhorn fans. They jumped out early and never looked back behind their star-studded backcourt featuring Chris Douglas-Roberts (25 points) and freshman Derek Rose (21 points). Rose could be one of the top three picks in this years NBA draft. This Memphis team will give any one of the other teams left serious matchup problems. Douglas-Roberts (6-7), Rose (6-3) and Antonio Anderson (6-6) are three big guards. And forwards Robert Dozier (6-9), Joey Dorsey (6-9), and Shawn Tagger (6-10, off the bench) are huge bodies that take up space in the paint. This is the reason that Memphis has only lost one game this season and this is the reason that Kevin Love and UCLA face their biggest task in San Antonio next weekend.

East Region:

Contenders for the final four spot:

(1) UNC – North Carolina has been solid all year long and are the team to beat in this bracket. Indiana should not be a threat in the 2nd round. (8) Indiana has yet to score over 88 points on the road this year and that is the exact number the Tar Heels average per night. (4) Washington St. shouldn’t be a problem for UNC either. Washington St. is 0-7 vs. UCLA, Stanford, and Arizona, three tournament teams.

(2) Tennessee – They played in the weak SEC, but their out of conference schedule included wins against Temple, West Virginia, Xavier, Gonzaga, Ohio State, and Memphis. They also lost a tough game to Texas, but this Tennessee team is battle tested. They shouldn’t have any trouble until they face Louisville in the sweet 16.

(3) Louisville – Many thought that the Cardinals were the best team in the Big East this year. This is a conference that’s sending eight teams to the NCAA Tournament. Moreover, to be thought of as the best, they gotta be doing something right. Having Rick Pitino as your coach isn’t just canned potatos either. However, I do see Tennessee beating Louisville.

Upset Specials:
(12) George Mason over (5) Notre Dame. George Mason still has two starters from their 2006 run to the final four. And Notre Dame guns threes. They shoot too many of them. Live and die by the three.

(10) South Alabama over (7) Butler. My only reasoning in taking South Alabama is that this game is being played in Birmingham, Alabama.

East Region Winner: UNC – I think they are too strong right now with a healthy Ty Lawson. Hansbrough is a beast. They have quality starters at each position and they can put up points with the best of them. They really don’t have any weaknesses right now. UNC is going to be a tough team to beat.

Midwest Region:

Contenders for the final four spot:

(1) Kansas – Kansas started off the year going 20-0, finally losing to Michael Beasley’s Kansas State Wildcats. Their 20 straight wins included out of conference games against Arizona, USC, Georgia Tech, and Boston College, so they did mix it up a little with the PAC 10 and ACC. They only lost three games this year by a total of 13 points, one of those games being against Texas. Just like UNC, they should have no trouble getting thru the first two rounds.

(2) Georgetown – Regular season champs of the Big East, but they did lose to a hot Pitt team in the Big East Conference Tournament. Georgetown loves to slow down the game. They run the Princeton offense and love to get their big man Roy Hibbert involved as much as possible. They have a great point guard in Jonathan Wallace and a very deep bench. If you want to beat G’town, you’re gonna have to break their defense (5th in the nation) and score some points.

(3) Wisconsin – The Badgers are on fire right now. They have won 10 straight games and their season resume includes a huge win at Texas and two season sweeps over Indiana and Michigan State. They seem to have no problem with the teams they are supposed to beat, so I don’t see this team getting upset too early. Their only losses came against Purdue twice, Duke, and Marquette.

Upset Specials:
(12) Villanova over (5) Clemson. I think it’s all mental with Clemson. They can never win the big game. They’re gonna come out still thinking about how they lost to UNC (again) and Nova’s gonna come out guns a blaz’n.

(10) Davidson over (7) Gonzaga. Davidson has won 22 straight games and check out this out of conference schedule: Lost to UNC by four, lost to Duke by six, and lost to UCLA by 12. It looks like they can hang with the big dawgs. I understand they lost all three games, but out of respect for getting those three teams on the schedule, I’m taking them.

Best Game of the First Round:
(11) Kansas State vs. (6) USC. Two lottery picks are going to be facing off against each other in this game, USC’s OJ Mayo & KSU’s Michael Beasley. These are two teams that nobody wanted to face in the first round and the Selection Committee matched them up against each other. I guarantee that all the pro scouts will be at this game. This is the 7:10pm EST game on Thursday. Make sure you tune into this one.

Midwest Region Winner: Kansas – Yep, I took another number one seed. I see Wisconsin having too tough of a road. In the second round they will have to play the winner of the USC/KSU game, then face off against G’town? They’ll be spent by the time Kansas is in their face. Furthermore, I see Kansas being too tough for G’town. I can’t see G’town beating them either.