You aren’t going to find two teams in college basketball that have a bigger rivalry than the Louisville Cardinals and the Kentucky Wildcats. The two will meet in the Bayou to kick off our 2012 Final Four predictions on Saturday night in what might be one of the most anticipated games that we have seen in college basketball in quite some time.

2012 Final Four Matchup: #4 Louisville Cardinals vs. #1 Kentucky Wildcats
Final Four Location: Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, LA
Final Four Date/Time: Sunday, March 31st, 6:00 p.m.
Louisville vs. Kentucky Television Coverage: CBS

Key #1: The Cardinals have to knock the Wildcats off of their game
… And that mean cranking up the pressure defensively. There were times against the Florida Gators in the Elite 8 that the Cardinals didn’t seem to have the same type of intensity that they did against, say the Michigan State Spartans. In that Sweet 16 matchup with the Big Ten champs, Louisville was able to absolutely take the Spartan out of what they wanted to do offensively, and in the end, it was good enough to put a lay a big time beat down on them. Against Florida at the end of the game, the defense showed those flashes once again. If the Cards can do this against MSU and Florida, there is no reason to think that a Kentucky team that has a ton of guards that have little to no experience at this level fits as well. What we have seen with the Wildcats in the past is that physical games can be concerning to them, especially if Terrence Jones doesn’t have his best stuff, so we do think that the possibility is there that the ‘Ville can accomplish this goal. Louisville has to make sure that it really gets in Kentucky’s head though, and forces a ton of turnovers and stupid fouls. That being said…

Final Four Odds at Wager Web Sportsbook
Louisville Cardinals +9
Kentucky Wildcats -9
Click Here to Bet Your Final Four Picks!

Key #2: Louisville has to stay out of foul trouble
We’re looking at you, Peyton Siva, Gorgui Dieng, and Chane Behanan! These three were in foul trouble all night against the Gators, and it was up to Head Coach Rick Pitino to try to figure out the crucial moments to get these three into the lineup. When they were off the court, Louisville really struggled, especially defensively, and as we have already determined, this is the calling card for this team. If Gorgui gets into foul difficulties, all of a sudden, the Cardinals don’t look like all that great of an interior defensive side. They are going to be up against it for sure at that point, as the three big boys, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Terrence Jones, and Anthony Davis could be dominating on both sides of the court. The Cardinals have to be aggressive, but they have to be smart, and they have to make sure that they don’t commit all that many foolish fouls to take themselves out of the game.

Key #3: The Wildcats have to take their time and keep this game at a reasonable pace
Though you would think of Louisville as a team that loves to push the basketball, that isn’t really necessarily the case. Sure, Pitino would rather start to put pressure on the opposition on both sides of the court, and as a result, there are a lot of points that are scored in transition. Kentucky has had a habit in this tournament of running perhaps a bit too much. The team has allowed at least 66 in all four of its games in the tourney, and that came after allowing fewer than 60 points per game in the regular season. Sure, the offense has the ability to get the job done as well, but we just don’t see this Louisville outfit allowing in the 70s, let alone in the 80s (or in the 100s!) as the Wildcats have reached in all of their games in March Madness. That means that Marquis Teague has to be smart with the basketball and that all of these youngsters that don’t have all that much experience need to keep their heads on straight. This was a team that shot just 33.9 percent from the field and jacked up 27 three-point shots against the Connecticut Huskies in the Final Four last year. That just can’t be the case once again if the Wildcats hope to move on to the finale on Monday.

Click Here to get the best March Madness picks that you’ll find on the internet, including our NCAA Tournament picks and the Final Four picks for the rest of the NCAA Tournament game odds.

In and amongst all of the talk about the teams like the #10 St. Mary’s Gaels, the #9 Northern Iowa Panthers, and the #5 Butler Bulldogs, hidden in the East Bracket, there’s a team that has been kicking butt and taking no prisoners, and seemingly no one is talking about them.

Is that because they a… dare I say… favorite? Is it because they are a flashy team and they do have talent? Is it because you have heard of their superstars and their head coach? Or is it because they’re a #1 seed and are expected to march through to the Elite 8 without any difficulties?

Regardless of what the circumstance is, the #1 Kentucky Wildcats have mowed down all three of their opponents without any hassles, and it’s time to recognize that this is their NCAA Tournament to lose.

There aren’t many teams in the country that can absolutely win games when two of their best three players are essentially MIA. There are even fewer that can beat a Sweet 16 foe by 17 points, even if that opponent is “just” an Ivy League team.

On Thursday night, G John Wall only scored eight points, and his counterpart F DeMarcus Cousins tallied nine. That duo is averaging nearly 32 points per game this year.

It’s not like anyone else had a truly remarkable game, either. F Patrick Patterson’s 16 points was only a shade above his season average, and G Eric Bledsoe’s dozen was right on par with his normal night.

But HC John Calipari, in spite of the fact that he has never won a National Championship (or for that matter, had one vacated), knows that you’re going to have to find ways to look like you’re at your best, even when you’re not at your best in this tournament.

That’s exactly what the Cats have done so far in this tournament.

It’s amazing to think that none of Kentucky’s big three have gone off for more than 22 points in a game in the dance (and aside from Patterson’s 22 against #16 East Tennessee State, there hasn’t even been a 20 point game in the bunch either). Yet still, the 17 point margin of victory against the Big Red was easily the smallest of its three. The Wildcats have averaged beating their three March Madness competitors by an average of 25.3 points per game, easily the biggest average margin of victory in the dance.

Now, it’s true that the SEC champs haven’t run up against a foe that anyone really believed could win the whole enchilada yet, but it’s noteworthy to get this far in a tournament that has resembled trying to get through a minefield.

Ask #1 Syracuse or #1 Kansas or #2 Villanova or #3 Georgetown what it’s like running up against opponents that probably have no chance of winning the National Championship.

The #2 West Virginia Mountaineers will stand in the way of the mighty Wildcats on Saturday afternoon for the right to go to the Final Four.

The stage for the Final Four is set and we anxiously await one of the most famous spectacles in sports that will take place in Detroit, Michigan this Saturday. The road was definitely long and tough for the remaining teams left competing for a National Championship. Here at Bankrollsports, we nearly predicted all four teams in this year’s Final Four. The Louisville Cardinals were our pick out of the Midwest, but they fell one game short against Michigan State in the Elite Eight. However Connecticut, North Carolina, and our surprise team Villanova pulled through giving us a pretty impressive run. We will now turn the attention to the Final Four outlook and all the betting odds to take advantage of from the major sportsbooks like BetUS, Bodog, Justbet, and more. Take advantage of the final games of the season and close out the college basketball season by adding a few dollars to your wallet with considering some of these exciting prop bets.

Prop Bet #1 – Player to score most points

This prop bet is one that could be taken advantage of from many angles. Breaking down the way the Final Four is expected to unfold is that Michigan State and Connecticut could be in for a low scoring type game. While just on the other side, Villanova and North Carolina are extremely fast pace high scoring offenses that will likely rack up a lot of points. The game between North Carolina and Villanova is definitely best suited for a player to have a big night in scoring. While both teams have many weapons on offense, their guard play on both teams is extremely strong. We will take Tyler Hansbrough to be a big difference on the inside for the Tarheels. After all Hansbrough was the Player of the Year in 2008 and returned for his senior season to win a National Championship meaning now would be the perfect time for a veteran player to have a breakout performance.

Pick – Tyler Hansbrough (+200)
(Line @ BetUS Sportsbook – 100% Bonus Using This Link)

Prop Bet #2 – Team to score first 10 points first? (North Carolina or Villanova)

Here is a simple analysis of how both teams’ get started in basketball games. North Carolina tends to get off to slow starts despite their explosive potential. Villanova has really gotten off to strong starts the entire tournament outside of their very first game in round 1 against American. The Wildcats really play tenacious defense and fly around the ball. Villanova speed will be difficult for North Carolina to anticipate especially coming out of the gates. Take consideration that everyone is expecting the Tarheels to win the game and they are receiving heavy favoring odds in this prop bet. However, Villanova likely comes out surprising North Carolina with their quickness and gets to the 10 point mark first. North Carolina just may need some time to adjust and we believe they will lose the battle to 10, but may win the war.

Pick – Villanova (+120)
(Line @ Bodog Sportsbook – 10% “No-Commitment” Bonus Using This Link)

Prop Bet #3 – 10 three pointers Over/Under? (Connecticut vs. Michigan State)

Looking at the numbers on paper the under bet perhaps may look the most intriguing. Connecticut attempts less 3 point shots than any team left in the tournament while Michigan State is known to drain a few every outing. However, this match-up is expected to be a grudge match especially on the inside. Think about what usually happens in these types of game and that is the 3 point shot becomes the difference maker in the contest. Expect Michigan State to make their share of shots behind the arc, but also expect Connecticut to drain a lot more than normal as well.

Pick – Over 10 (-120)
(Line @ Bodog Sportsbook – 10% No-Commitment Bonus Using This Link)

Prop Bet #4 – Total Points for Kalin Lucas 13.5 O/U?

Goran Suton has been the most consistent performer for Michigan State throughout the tournament. Suton has posted right at 20 points against Louisville and Kansas in march to the Final Four. However, Suton will be meeting the 7’3 Hasheem Thabeet inside the paint in this particular match-up. While both players are extremely talented and can have big nights, expect them to make it difficult for the other. Without Suton posting big numbers, Michigan State will desperately need someone to step up. Kalin Lucas has led the team all year in scoring and this will be a perfect scenario for him to score some points. The question here is not if he will score over 13.5 points, but will he be able to score enough to get the Spartans the victory.

Pick – Over 13.5 -120
(Line @ Bodog Sportsbook – 10% No-Commitment Bonus Using This Link)

Prop Bet #5 – Odds to win the 2009 NCAA Tournament MVP

The final prop bet left on the board is likely the most exciting as well although difficult to predict. The Tournament MVP usually comes from a member from a team competing in the Championship game if not the National Championship team. Then you have to look at who is best suitable to be in the National Championship, who has played really well so far, and who is likely to play well in the Final Four. One name comes to mind that gives a check mark for all scenarios and this is Ty Lawson. Remember Lawson came into the Tournament hampered with an ankle injury. However, Lawson has really been the X factor for North Carolina in March and nobody has been able to defend the talented junior guard. Lawson is averaging 20 points per game in his 3 outings in the Tournament despite missing the first round. This pick revolves around a few expectations. First we are banking that the Tarheels overcome Villanova and make it to the Championship game. Second up to this point their has not been anyone more impressive than Lawson and who is playing better basketball at this point in the season. With that combination, Lawson should be fit for the MVP.

Pick – Ty Lawson 7/2
(Line @ Bodog Sportsbook – 10% No-Commitment Bonus Using This Link)