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Dick Vitale reveals Final Four predictions, pick for 2024 national champion
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Dick Vitale is riding with Kentucky.
The ESPN analyst was quick to share his Final Four after the Selection Sunday NCAA Tournament bracket reveal. Vitale’s four regional champs are UConn (East), Baylor (West), Kentucky (South) and Tennessee (Midwest).
Vitale has Kentucky topping UConn in the championship game to win it all.
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Here is my VBDI ‘s FINAL 4 & my NATIONAL CHAMP BABY !
KENTUCKY to WIN it ALL! @ESPNPR pic.twitter.com/DAdshGArFM— Dick Vitale (@DickieV) March 17, 2024
For UK, it would be the program’s first national title since 2012. The Wildcats last reached the Final Four in 2015. Kentucky was the NCAA Tournament runner-up in 2014. In recent years, though, Cal’s Cats have stumbled in March.
Kentucky could be a popular pick to win the tourney
Sure, plenty of casual fans who wait until March to watch college basketball will likely fill their brackets with 1- or 2-seed teams in the Final Four, but it’s not hard to see why Vitale likes the Wildcats. During the bracket reveal, a common take was that Kentucky has a favorable path to the Final Four.
One reason to like the Wildcats is that they finished the regular season hot. UK won its last 5 regular-season contests, including a pair of wins against the SEC’s top teams. Kentucky picked up a 117-95 home win over Alabama and an 85-81 road win against Tennessee.
That 5-game winning streak was snapped by a 97-87 loss to Texas A&M. An early exit from a conference tournament, though, is far from the worst thing for an NCAA Tournament run.
Conference tournaments can be a bit funky with the change in routine. While the extra rest is sought-after, 3 of the SEC’s top 4 seeds went 1-and-done after picking up double-byes. On Friday, the Aggies may have benefitted from having played Thursday.
There’s no freshness/rust advantage to worry about for the Cats in the NCAA Tournament. John Calipari’s team will face Oakland on Thursday in Pittsburgh. Pick up the first win, and winning 3 more to get the Final Four looks quite doable.
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Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
