Column:An unlikely Final Four set to duel in Houston

The road to Houston is set with four teams that were hard to predict.

UConn is the team back in the spotlight, UK is the storied program, Butler is the never-say-die team and VCU is the Cinderella team.

Although this Final Four may have been unpredictable, it’s what most people want to see happen in March Madness.

Will the winner be Butler, a Horizon League team that has gone back-to-back in the Final Four, or VCU, a team that has never gotten past the second round until this year?

This is the first time ever without a No. 1 or 2 seed playing in the Final Four.
The quest for greatness is just two wins away.

Which team will be cutting down the nets April 4 and which teams will be on a plane home without a championship trophy?

UConn
Head coach Jim Calhoun has experience in March and April.

The Huskies have been in the Final Four three times before (1999, 2004 and 2009) with Calhoun at the helm.

They have demonstrated that they have consistency after beating four then-ranked teams in four days to win the Big East Tournament crown.

The team is led by one of the best players in the nation in guard Kemba Walker, who is averaging 24 points per game.

The Bronx native was a part of the 2009 team that went to the Final Four and received Big East All-Rookie team honors that year.

But the star has to have his supporting cast show up and continue to compete at a high level.   

Freshmen guards Jeremy Lamb and Shabazz Napier have been answering that call, especially in the tournament.

Butler
No mid-major conference team has ever been in the Final Four in consecutive years.

But the Bulldogs defied the odds and did it again.

Coach Brad Stevens may be young, but his leadership ability and never-say-die attitude has been emulated by the fight of his players.

Even without last year’s star Gordon Hayward, Butler got back to the promised land thanks to the play of Shelvin Mack and Matt Howard.

Facing a VCU squad that has gone through some of the tournament’s best teams will be a true test for the Bulldogs.

VCU
The Rams are the epitome of a Cinderella team because they had to play their way in the tourney (defeating USC) and haven’t stopped winning since.

Including the win against the Trojans, VCU has defeated four straight teams in major conferences.

It played its way in the tourney due to losing its conference championship game against Old Dominion.

Only two No. 11 seeds have made it this far before, including another Virginia team, George Mason University, in 2006.

Head coach Shaka Smart has done a phenomenal job preparing his team for each matchup.

Point guard Joey Rodriguez leads his team on the floor and has done a great job so far of dishing the ball to players like Skeen.

They will be facing a Butler team who was in their shoes last year, but will the pressure of the Final Four get to the Rams?

Kentucky
Kentucky is used to being in the spotlight.

In fact, this year makes it its 14th time in the Final Four.

Out of those 14 times, it has won the Championship seven times, which puts it second-most of all time.

Although the Wildcats might be a young team, they are a well-coached team.

Kentucky has a fast-paced offense that is capable of putting up points in a hurry.

All of Kentucky’s players were high-recruited coming out of college, unlike Butler’s or VCU’s players.

The two freshman five-star recruits, guard Brandon Knight and forward Terrance Jones, have led the Wildcats to the point.  

Similar to UConn, Kentucky has a solid big man in forward Josh Harrellson.

This Final Four matchup will test two great coaches with talented players and could easily come down to the final buzzer.

­— amsiegal@indiana.edu