UConn Vs. Kentucky, Final Four 2011: Kemba Walker Leads Huskies Against Wildcats At 8:49 ET

To call UConn vs. Kentucky the main event of the Final Four is to disservice the runs Butler and VCU have made through the 2011 NCAA Tournament bracket. But if we’re talking about NBA talent, there’s no question that the Huskies and Wildcats have more on each of their rosters than the other two squads combined: Kemba Walker was a National Player of the Year finalist, and has young talent around him, while Brandon Knight and Terrence Jones have led John Calipari to a Final Four with his third team, matching a feat only Rick Pitino had previously accomplished. Saturday at 6:09 p.m. Eastern, according to the Final Four schedule, and Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg will have the call in Houston.

UConn’s performance in the 2011 NCAA Tournament, largely based on Walker’s magnificent play, makes this yet another year that Jim Calhoun’s Huskies have emerged from the West Regional to play in the Final Four. And Walker’s been great, averaging 26.75 points per game in the NCAA Tournament, but he’s been helped by the emergence of Jeremy Lamb as a second scorer and defensive stopper, and by tough play inside by Alex Oriakhi. If those three players are on, UConn is hard to beat; if those three and Roscoe Smith are playing well, it will likely be a load too difficult to handle for Kentucky.

Meanwhile, Kentucky’s return to the Final Four is being treated by the Big Blue faithful as a restoration of order: Knight and Jones are the heirs to the legacy of Jamal Mashburn and Adolph Rupp, and Kentucky in the Final Four is how things should be. With players as talented as Knight, a deadly midrange shooter, and Jones, a versatile big man who can shoot and drive and play good interior defense when motivated, it may as well be: this Final Four run is mostly thanks to the Wildcats’ talent playing as well as it can, and partly Kentucky’s younger players coming through when they need to. Shooters Darius Miller and DeAndre Liggins, providing good numbers as third and fourth options, help, too.

Star Watch: But Kentucky’s biggest advantage over UConn may be the Wildcat most often forgotten by national observers. Josh Harrellson has the size to trouble Oriakhi and the rest of UConn’s front line, and the skills to make the Huskies pay if he is allowed to spot up 14 or 16 feet from the hoop. Harrellson playing well has bailed the ‘Cats out more than once in this NCAA Tournament, and it’s no stretch to say that his play is very reminiscent of Brian Zoubek’s for 2009-2010 national champion Duke.

Prediction: Walker is transcendent; Kentucky is deeper. And the Wildcats are peaking, which will help them to a 76-73 victory.

More Reading: SB Nation’s Kentucky blog A Sea of Blue has tons more on the Wildcats’ NCAA Tournament success, while The UConn Blog has tons on the Huskies and Kemba Walker. Want to learn more about the 2011 NCAA Tournament in general? Check out SB Nation’s NCAA Tournament hub.