NCAA Basketball: Mock 2020 NCAA Tournament Final 4 predictions
Michael Walton II – @ZenMasterMike
The battle between the Gonzaga Bulldogs and Kentucky Wildcats will be a hard-fought matchup featuring plenty of intriguing matchups and two of the game’s premier coaches in Mark Few and John Calipari. While both of these squads play great defense, the offense will be the deciding factor in this one. Per KenPom, Gonzaga as the best offensive efficiency in the nation by 2.2 points. Their ability to score efficiently inside and outside the paint, combined with a penchant for getting to the free-throw line, makes the Bulldogs. at times look like they could be an NBA squad.
On the flip side, Kentucky was way more prone to highs and lows this season but will push Gonzaga with their speed and athleticism. I expect freshman guard Tyrese Maxey to fill it up on offense for the Wildcats scoring-wise but to have trouble doing that and creating looks for others while presumably dealing with the tough defense of Ryan Woolridge.
Immanuel Quickley in a knockdown shooter and his movement off-ball could perhaps draw the Woolridge assignment, thus taking pressure off of Maxey. Quickley will knock down plenty of shots and the Kentucky backcourt may even get the best of Gonzaga’s but this game will all come down to the battle in the frontcourt. Nick Richards has been on a tear as of late, especially on offense but his defense will be key. Gonzaga’s Filip Petrusev has been the team’s most steady scorer on the season but Killian Tillie’s ability to stretch the floor (40% on 3.8 attempts per game from 3-point range) will be Kentucky’s downfall.
Tillie will pull Richards and/or Montgomery outside the paint and if the Wildcats commit to switching on defense, Tillie is a skilled post scorer to boot, shooting a remarkable 71.8% at the rim this season per Hoop-Math.com. Even if Calipari commits to a full-court press or other methods to try to throw the Zags off-balance, I trust Few with this year’s group against a young Kentucky team. I believe Tillie goes off for a big game–supported by solid play from Petrusev–and gets Nick Richards in early foul trouble in the process, as the Bulldogs pull off an exciting win with their skilled pair of bigs leading the charge.