There are just three games remaining in the 2013 college basketball season ... let that sink in for a minute. Can you feel it? That song that we all know is coming on Monday night? Yep ... "One Shining Moment" is drawing closer and closer as we speak.
As it stands, there are four teams who sit at the doorstep of greatness. Three teams are looking to reclaim a championship glory that has eluded them for a number of years, while a fourth team will look to feast on the spoils of a championship for the very first time.
Louisville. Wichita State. Michigan. Syracuse.
Who will win? We take it to some of your favorite bloggers and writers from all walks of the internet to get their thoughts on who will bring home the 2013 national championship. I may have included a few words of my own that will most certainly be incorrect. Enjoy.
Nick Birdsong | Journalist | Alabama Media Group | @birds_word
Who did you pick to win the tournament in your piddly bracket: UCLA
Who is the player you're most excited to see in the Final Four: Wichita State’s Malcolm Armstead
Who will win the 2013 NCAA Championship and why: Louisville
I know it might be a sucker move to go with the sure shot. But, at some point, it just boils down to basketball, and the Cardinals are the most complete, experienced team still in it. The Wichita State Silkk the Shockers have had their run in making it to Atlanta just like Florida Gulf Coast had its day in the sun in reaching the Sweet 16. Syracuse will get past Michigan, but I don’t see Rick Pitino allowing a matchup 2-3 zone to stand between him and figures. That’s my word.
John Gotty | Editor-In-Chief | The Smoking Section | @johngotty
Who did you pick to win the tournament in your piddly bracket: Michigan
Who is the player you're most excited to see in the Final Four: Michigan's Trey Burke
Who will win the 2013 NCAA Championship and why: Syracuse
Man, listen. 'Cuse has been my team since 1985, and this year we finally got a bit of revenge against Indiana for stealing the title n '87. And after slouching their way to the end of the regular season and Big East tourney, the team finally shook off the doldrums and started firing on all cylinders. Sure, I picked our semifinal opponent Michigan at the start of the tourney. But, my heart bleeds Orange, and this is about destiny now that we're in the Final Four.
Anthony Ramsey | EIC | Los That Sports Blog | @A_RamseyLTSB
Who did you pick to win the tournament in your piddly bracket: Indiana
Who is the player you're most excited to see in the Final Four: Michigan's Trey Burke
Who will win the 2013 NCAA Championship and why: Michigan
The Wolverines have the guard play needed to bust up Syracuse's zone and the inside presence to go along with it, not to mention the best player in Burke. Michael Carter-Williams is nice, but Michigan has the advantage in too many areas.
Jonathan Tjarks | Contributor | SB Nation/Real GM | @JonathanTjarks
Who did you pick to win the tournament in your piddly bracket: Indiana
Who is the player you're most excited to see in the Final Four: Syracuse's Michael Carter-Williams
Who will win the 2013 NCAA Championship and why: Louisville
The emergence of Gorgui Dieng gives them a dimension no other team left has. Dieng's ability to protect the rim allows them to extend their defense out to 94 feet and speed up the tempo of the game, creating open-court situations where Russ Smith and Peyton Siva thrive. If they meet Syracuse in the title game, Dieng's ability to pick apart a defense as a 6'11 passer from the high post is the Kryptonite to Jim Boeheim's 2-3 zone.
Ben Osborne | Editor-In-Chief | SLAM Magazine | @bosborne17
Who did you pick to win the tournament in your piddly bracket: Indiana
Who is the player you're most excited to see in the Final Four: Michigan's Trey Burke
Who will win the 2013 NCAA Championship and why: Louisville
SLAM's pre-season No. 1 lived up to the hype most of the season and seems to have peaked at the right time. The Cards are deep, play both ends of the floor and now have the always hard-to-quantify intangible in the form of "winning it for" Kevin Ware.
Nick Restivo | Social Media Manager | Complex Magazine | @nrestivo
Who is the player you're most excited to see in the Final Four: Michigan's Trey Burke
Who will win the 2013 NCAA Championship and why: Michigan
Keys to winning the tournament are easy: exceptional guard play, a big man that can score and sound defense. It just so happens Michigan has the best player in the country (don't agree, watch what Trey Burke did against Kansas). He's also the type of player to attack, something the Marquette guards weren't capable of doing against Syracuse. The 'Cuse zone has holes in it (See: Syracuse's last 10 regular-season games). After Michigan takes care of the Orange, they'll cruise in the championship game and bring a championship back to Ann Arbor.
Eduardo Maisonet, III | Editor-In-Chief | TSFJ | @edthesportsfan
Who is the player you're most excited to see in the Final Four: Louisville's Peyton Siva
Who will win the 2013 NCAA Championship and why: Louisville
A part of me wanted to select the Wichita State Shockers to pull off the upset of upsets against the No. 1 overall seed Louisville Cardinals, but with the rallying cry that is Kevin Ware and a suffocating pressure defense at Pitino's disposal, I can't do it. The roster has everything they need to succeed, even with Ware out. Peyton Siva and Russ Smith have been the best guard duo in college basketball all season, and The Ville's front court takes care of slashing to the rim, rebounding and defending. It's beautifully chaotic to witness, and that chaos will bring a title back to bourbon country.
Eddie Maisonet is the founder and editor emeritus of The Sports Fan Journal. Currently, he serves as an associate editor for ESPN.com. He is an unabashed Russell Westbrook and Barry Switzer apologist, owns over 100 fitteds and snapbacks, and lives by Reggie Jackson’s famous quote, “I am the straw that stirs the drink.”