Four MC's With Reasons to Bring This Game to Its Knees

Florida, UCLA, Georgetown, and Ohio State.

The Final Four: Stairway to One Shining Moment

On paper it's as flawless a Final Four as we could hope for, precisely as I visualized back on Selection Sunday. It remains to be seen how well the games will play out on the court but there is one certainty, these are the teams that belong in the Georgia Dome (whether or not the tournament belongs in said venue is another matter entirely).

Forget about favorites and dogs, for all intents and purposes these teams stand on equal footing atop the ever-turbulent world of college basketball. Here's a handy guide to what you need to know heading into the glorious culmination of gambling season collegiate athletics in America (fuck you college baseball...bunch of tree hugging metallurgists).

UCLA Bruins Pac 10 Regular Season Champions/Best Coached Team In America (aka: The Anti-Lute Olsen Award)

The most important thing to remember about this team is that they've improved significantly since they were dismantled by the Gators this time last year. As good as Jordan Farmar was (and you know I love my Jewish ballers) Darren Collison is a prototypical Ben Howland point guard. He runs the offense more efficiently than any of the other talented guards heading into Atlanta and he's got the balls to let it fly when that's what the team needs from him. Once again their front line will struggle to match up with Florida's ridiculously athletic post players, but their mastery of Howland's defensive rotation can be an equalizer.

Florida Gators SEC Champions/Defending National Champions/Future Millionaires Club

The big "distraction" in this year's Final Four run has been the constant speculation surrounding Billy Donovan's eminent departure. What you need to remember is that it's only a distraction for the people who care. You think the players really care? Please. The only distraction facing Noah, Horford, and Brewer is picking out some ballin' pinstripes for draft night. Even Taurean Green might be getting in on the act, but he's saddled with the task of finding a suit that meshes with all three shades of his face.

Ohio State Buckeyes Big Ten Champions/The Best Team They Could Buy With the Leftover Football Money (kidding...kinda)

Yeah I hate Ohio State, so what? Just because I think Thad Motta is a Goober doesn't mean I don't respect the talent he's able to put on the floor. The Conley/Oden combination gets the press but on any given night Daequan Cook, David Lighty, or Ron Lewis could be their most dangerous option on the offensive end of the court. On defense Oden has to stay out of foul trouble. Considering the opponent he's likely to be leaned on for more minutes then he's used to, if he picks up early fouls Ohio State could be in a lot of trouble. Similarly Ivan Harris will have his hands full with the inside/out game of Jeff Green. Harris has to be able to establish position in the high post and deny the pass to disrupt the "Princeton" offense.

Georgetown Hoyas Big East Champions/The Beginning of a Dynasty/My Neighbors

People look at this team and they see the Roy Hibbert and Jeff Green, but there's so much more. In a year that featured dominant freshmen all over the nation Dajuan Summers remains an overlooked superstar. Yet it's not just the big time recruits of that's carrying the squad. Junior point guard Jonathan Wallace rose to prominence with his second half daggers against UNC but his performance was nothing new to those who know him. He was originally recruited by JTIII at Princeton, not surprising when you consider his athletic and academic accomplishments in high school. Wallace's leadership and experience could be the difference when the Hoyas face off against Ohio State's star-studded freshmen backcourt.