Big Time Programs, Coaches Set Stage for 2015 Final Four

We'll start off by looking at the 7 seed in the East bracket, the Michigan State Spartans. Sparty started off the year in struggling fashion, but head coach Tom Izzo knows how to work his magic. They lost four of their non-conference match-ups, including one bad overtime loss to Texas Southern. Their strength of schedule helped them get into the Big Dance, finishing with eleven losses on the season, but could only manage them a 7 seed, even with a strong finish to the season, going 4-1 the last five games before the NCAA Tournament. Izzo is no stranger to the Final Four: this is only his seventh appearance at Michigan State (obviously, this is said in a tongue-in-cheek manner). It's usually smart when you're filling out your brackets to start with Michigan State and have them automatically in the Final Four, then work backwards from there.

It has been joked all over the college basketball world that if the Kentucky Wildcats lose just one game this season, the Kentucky should fire John Calipari. This is said in jest, but Cal easily has the most talented college basketball team in quite of time, and since the sport has become so top heavy, then losing with that kind of talent is almost unacceptable. However, with talent comes egos, and I can't explain how Cal convinced his team, a team full of NBA talent, to buy in to his platoon system. Calipari has taken Kentucky to four Final Fours out of the past five seasons, so will we finally see the giants be taken down, or will we be witness to perfection for the first time since 1976?

Ryan is one of the better coaches in college basketball, but he hasn't had the honor of leading one of his teams to the Final Four, until this season. Wisconsin is loaded with talent: player of the year candidate Frank Kaminsky, solid perimeter play from Bronson Koenig and Traevon Jackson, and are now getting a huge contribution from forward Sam Dekker. While Ryan is the least experienced when it comes to post season success, he definitely has one of the best teams in the tournament.

It seems like if your last name has the letter "Z" in it, you're guaranteed to do well come March Madness. Coach K built the Duke Blue Devils from the ground up, and have been among the blue bloods of college basketball for almost 25 years now. He knows how to get to the Big Dance, and he knows how to succeed too. Yes, recently the Dukies have had early exits than expected (most notably their loss as a 2 seed to 15 seed Mercer in 2013), but Coach K and his boys have figured out the formula for building a great team: shoot the ball well from the three-point arc and rebound. With plenty of guards with a shooting hand, from freshman Tyus Jones and sophomore Matt Jones, to one of the most dominant players in the post in Jahlil Okafor pulling boards and averaging 17.7 points per game and 8.7 rebounds per game, the Dukies have the roster to win a national championship.