NCAA Tournament 2014 National Championship Predictions Roundup: Experts Just as Divided as Statistical Forecast
ByIf Nate Silver cannot predict the outcome of tonight's men's hoops title game, who can?
The men's college basketball season ends tonight with the UConn Huskies (7) playing the Kentucky Wildcats (8) for the National Championship. Experts from all over have had to revise their picks as they went mostly because UConn and Kentucky knocked off all the favorites.
With only two teams left, here is a roundup of several experts' picks to cut down the nets in Arlington, Texas.
Jay Bilas: Kentucky 67 - UConn 66
Eamonn Brennan: Kentucky 74 - UConn 70
Andy Katz: UConn 68 - Kentucky 66
Myron Medcalf: Kentucky 76 - UConn 72
Dana O'Neil: UConn 68 - Kentucky 63
Fran Fraschilla: UConn 68 - Kentucky 65
Gary Parrish: Kentucky wins on a late-game buzzer beater from Aaron Harrison.
Gregg Doyel: Kentucky wins with physical play and superior rebounding.
Jeff Borzello: UConn wins because Shabazz Napier will be the best player on the floor.
Matt Norlander: Kentucky wins by eliminating Napier with a big game from Julius Randle.
Doug Gottlieb: UConn wins despite being outsized by their opponents.
Jon Rothstein: UConn wins behind a dominant game from Napier.
Jason King: Kentucky wins by physically outmatching UConn.
Kerry Miller: Kentucky wins thanks to key role player performances.
C.J. Moore: Kentucky wins with a frontcourt advantage greater than UConn's backcourt advantage.
From USA Today's Scott Gleeson, who published "13 reasons Kentucky won't win the national championship."
"Calipari's freshmen-laden group should win for a variety of reasons. More talent. Momentum. Veteran coach. Clutch factor. You name it. But would it be that big of a surprise if UConn won?" he wrote. "Here's a team that went through as many hills and valleys as the Wildcats. On paper, the Huskies weren't better than Michigan State or Florida, both of whom were favored to win the national title."
As are most people trying to guess who will win tonight, Nate Silver's interactive statistical model gives both UConn and Kentucky a 50 percent chance of winning.
