The Final Four in San Antonio isn’t how we pictured it would be. The No. 11 Loyola-Chicago Ramblers, behind the will of Sister Jean, have advanced to play No. 3 Michigan in the semifinal. Who saw that coming? The winner of that game will play the winner of No. 1 Villanova vs. No. 1 Kansas (A lot of us saw that coming).
Final Four predictions: 7 things that will happen in San Antonio
Hint: A whole lotta Sister Jean interviews.
Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
Through each round of the 2018 tournament we learned more and more to expect the unexpected. Remember this is still March, and the Final Four never happens how we think it will. Think back to Kris Jenkins’ three at the buzzer after Marcus Paige’s double-clutch shot in 2016.
We do know what we won’t be seeing this season: Grayson Allen cutting down the net, Tom Izzo winning his first tournament since 2000, Trae Young shooting the lights out, Collin Sexton trash-talking the competition, Mo Bamba swatting shots, or DeAndre Ayton crushing souls. They’re all at home or training for the draft.
We don’t know what we’re in for in San Antonio, but here we’ll do our best to take a guess as to what we’ll see in the 2018 Final Four.
Lots and lots of Sister Jean
The 98-year-old nun will undoubtedly be the biggest celebrity of the weekend, and if the team wins it all, the Ramblers’ biggest fan will go nuclear. Keep in mind, though, that she’s already declared herself an international sensation.
She’ll be the main interview before and after the game regardless of the outcome and shown on TV throughout.
Three-pointers will fly all weekend in an exhibition of offensive brilliance
Three of the four remaining teams rank in the top 20 in the country in three-point percentage. Kansas has made 384 at 40.3 percent (No. 11 in the country), Loyola-Chicago made 276 at 40 percent (Tied for No. 16), and Villanova made 436 at 39.96 percent (No. 19).
That’s pretty dang good!
These teams have some of the most accurate amateur shooters in the world. Kansas’ Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk shoots 44.7 percent (No. 12 in the nation), Mikal Bridges shoots 43.6 percent (No. 17), and Kansas’ Devonte’ Graham shoots 40.6 percent (No. 51).
Mikal Bridges will swat someone’s shot and it will become a meme
The Villanova forward is a 6’7 monster with a freakish 7-foot wingspan. He’s one of the best three-point shooters in the country, and will ultimately be a lottery pick in the NBA Draft. He’s also really good at blocking layup and dunk attempts, and you better believe he’ll embarrass someone with the whole country watching.
Nobody will tackle Michigan’s Jordan Poole, regardless of the outcome
Jordan Poole is the Michigan forward who hit the game-winning shot to beat Houston in the Round of 32. It was an amazing hoist at the buzzer.
The best part may have been the entire Wolverines team chasing him afterwards because he didn’t want to get tackled. He was eventually piled onto, but his teammates know better now.
Michigan will stop Loyola-Chicago’s three-point consistency
If there’s one team the Ramblers didn’t want to have to face in the Final Four, it’s the Wolverines. Michigan allows the third fewest three-point attempts by shot percentage, according to KenPom, meaning they’re excellent at running players off the arc. That’s bad news for Loyola.
Last game, guard Ben Richardson stole the show by hitting 6-of-7 attempts, but it’s unlikely he’ll be able to fire off that many clean looks again. Michigan is too quick and too versatile.
Malik Newman’s hot streak ends in the Final Four
With Villanova’s talent on the perimeter including Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo, and the length of Bridges, it’s hard to imagine Kansas guard Malik Newman going off against the Wildcats like he has against the rest of the tourney teams.
Newman scored 32 points against Duke on 19 shots, dropped 17 on Clemson, and 28 against Seton Hall. He’s been excellent at the perfect time — he only averages 14 points per game — but ‘Nova is on a whole other level from the rest of their competition thus far. And Newman will be at the top of their scouting report.
Jalen Brunson wins Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament
The prediction here is that Villanova wins it all, and Brunson takes home his second title. ‘Nova’s point guard has been one of the best players all season, even debatably more productive than Duke’s Bagley or Oklahoma’s Young.
He’s averaging 19 points, five assists, and three rebounds on the season. Against West Virginia in the Sweet 16, he outperformed Jevon Carter, with 27 points on 15 shots. He posted a 15-6-4 line against Texas Tech in the Elite Eight, and only scored 12 and 16 points in the opening rounds because they were blowout games. We may not have talked about him like the other stars, but Brunson had an incredible season.
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