After two close semifinal wins on Saturday night, that's exactly the matchup we are getting on Monday night.
Louisville came back to beat Wichita State in the first semifinal game, utilizing surprising bench performances from Luke Hancock and Tim Henderson to get the win. The Cardinals will be the favorite on Monday night, as they have won 15 games in a row – with only three coming by single-digits.
Michigan figured out Syracuse's 2-3 zone for most of Saturday's game, although some bad decisions and turnovers down the stretch made it a one-possession game in the final minute. However, the Wolverines were able to overcome bad performances from most of their stars in order to get the win.
On Monday, the key is obviously going to be Trey Burke against the Louisville pressure. The Wolverines handled VCU's pressure extremely well in the Round of 32, but Louisville is a different animal. Russ Smith and Peyton Siva will attempt to disrupt Burke at the point of attack, but they can also drop back and play effective half-court defense. Burke needs to take care of the ball.
On the other side, look at the battle on the boards. Michigan crushed Syracuse on the glass in the first half, with Mitch McGary dominating the offensive boards. Louisville isn't great on the defensive glass, either, and Gorgui Dieng and Chane Behanan will need to play better than they did on Saturday night. If McGary can set the tone early – like he did on Saturday – Louisville will have its hands full.
It will be interesting to see if the stars show up on Monday. Burke, Tim Hardaway and Nik Stauskas all struggled against Syracuse, while Peyton Siva didn't get going until late, and Wayne Blackshear, Behanan and Dieng didn't do much either.
I have a feeling Monday night won't be a letdown. After a roller-coaster of a season, we have the No. 1 offense vs. the No. 1 defense. Fitting.
I had a wish that Louisville meets Michigan in the NCAA final.
'Cause that would be a good thing for our website.
The wish has been answered and granted. "Here it is. You have it !"
One of the toughest road in the world is "The road to the Final Four".
Now that, it's done and over, there's a game that determines the national champion of NCAA basketball.
There will be only one guy at the top of all.
It comes on Monday.