So how’s your bracket doing? Because the NCAA Men’s Final Four tips off Saturday night, meaning we are days away from crowning a new national champion. The first game features number-three Illinois colliding with powerhouse UConn. Then, we have got a battle between the two number-one seeds, Michigan and Arizona. Eddie Pells is a national sports writer for the Associated Press. He joins us now from Indianapolis, which is hosting the Final Four and championship games. Thank you so much for being here. So let’s start with the UConn-Illinois game. This is the third Final Four appearance for the Huskies in the past four years. What do you think is going to unfold?
Well, I first need to give a shoutout to my kid, who got three of these four teams picked in his great bracket.
Wait, why are we not interviewing your kid?
That’s a good question, and he’ll probably ask the same thing. But yeah, UConn does this very well. And I think especially the farther along you get in the tournament, the more value that has. Probably had the moment of the tournament when Braylon Mullins hit the 3-pointer basically right before the buzzer to get them in there. They are riding on a major, major high.
And Illinois is just a solid program and a solid team that finally broke through this year. They’re a little inconsistent outside. I think UConn just has a lot of things going for it that make them, in my mind, a little bit of a favorite in that one, but it’ll be tight.
All right, so who does your son think is going to win Michigan and Arizona?
He doesn’t care as much about that one. We won’t get into why. But if you had to ask, well, let’s ask Dad. I think Arizona may be just a little bit deeper lineup there, but these are two very similar teams. Arizona averaged around 90 points a game without shooting a lot of 3s. They shoot like the third-least number of 3-pointers in the country, and they still average 90 points a game. They come at you in waves, in a way a little bit more than Michigan can.
And I think that one’s going to be a bruiser of a game. There’s going to be like eight or nine guys you’re going to see in the NBA next year. It’s going to be a really good game. But if you had to pick it, Arizona may be just a little bit deeper there.
OK, so if I’m hearing you correctly, between UConn and Arizona, who’s got it?
OK, that one I’m going with — because one thing I do think, a lot of times you’ll see a game like Arizona-Michigan, and it’s such a bruising battle that that team, even though they should win, maybe having to come back 36 hours later might not be able to do it.
UConn feels to me like a team of destiny. They’re the long shot in this thing, but they’ve got Alex Karaban, who’s been part of these other championship teams; Tarris Reed, who’s basically averaging a double-double; and Dan Hurley, who’s entertaining, as you can see on your screen there. He knows how to scout basketball. He knows how to get ready for these things. So I’m sort of picking UConn in a little bit of an upset. I’d call it an upset. They probably wouldn’t.
LINDSEY REISER: All right, what’s your son’s name?
Charlie.
LINDSEY REISER: Charlie Pells, come on the show. Come on the show, Charlie. All right, thank you. Eddie, we’ll have you anytime. Thank you so much.
OK, thank you.