Best case Final Four scenarios for the Big Blue Nation

As far as Final Four fields, this is about as crappy of a hand UK fans could have been dealt. March has already been pretty rough for Kentucky, but now the last three games to play for the 2022 National Championship essentially serve as a Blue Blood Invitational that they didn’t get a bid for. For those who aren’t actively boycotting the games this weekend for their health, what’s the best-case scenario for UK fans amongst this field of frustration?

4. Duke Blue Devils

Find me one Kentucky fan who wants to see Duke win. I’ll wait.

Coach Mike Krzyzewski is one of the greatest coaches in the history of U.S. sports, but the retirement tour has reached an unbearable crescendo. His swan song started against Kentucky at Madison Square Garden in the Champion’s Classic. With a 2-8 record against the Blue Devils since Krzyzewski took over, the Wildcats lost their ninth and final game against college basketball’s all-time winningest coach, 79-71. To add salt to the wound, former UK recruit turned Blue Devil, Paolo Banchero, led the way with 22 points and 7 rebounds.

With each NCAA Tournament win, the hype around Coach K winning a title to end his career has gotten bigger and bigger. If the Blue Devils were to win, he would help Duke tie North Carolina for third all-time with six titles. It would also be his third title since 2010. All in all, there’s not much more to say as to why this is the least favorable of the options for BBN.

3. Kansas Jayhawks

We’re splitting hairs between the Jayhawks and the Tarheels for who finishes ahead of Duke. In the end, though, Kansas already holds the all-time wins record over Kentucky with their tournament run and will only extend it with each win. Meanwhile, UNC still needs to win over the weekend to tie or pass UK’s all-time tournament wins record.

Seeing both programs in the Final Four after the Wildcats routed them both stings enough. With that said, Kentucky’s 80-62 blowout in Allen Fieldhouse was the more impressive of the two victories. Add that to Kansas making it back to New Orleans for the 10-year anniversary of Kentucky’s last championship win against the Jayhawks in the Big Easy and it only rubs more salt in the wound.

2. North Carolina Tarheels

I get it. The Tarheels winning isn’t ideal either. As a blue blood rival, UNC has been a thorn in UK’s side in years past. It just so happens that they’re the lesser of at least three perceived evils we have before us this weekend. It would mean sacrificing the all-time tournament wins lead and the Tarheels being just one title away from tying Kentucky for second place all-time if UNC were to win it all.

Still, both of those things could be justified as worthy if it meant no sixth title for Coach K or Kansas extending the all-time wins advantage. 

Kentucky’s win over the Tarheels was massive, but it was on a neutral site against a struggling UNC team. Over the last month or so, North Carolina looks like a group with a brand new identity. Hubert Davis has become someone that’s been very easy to root for in his first year during their run. His team also has an underdog vibe heading into this weekend as the lowest seed left. It’s still unfortunate to say as North Carolina won Kentucky’s region in the Elite Eight against Saint Peter’s, but the case can at least be made that the Tarheels are the way to go.

1. Villanova

The Wildcats are the easiest argument to make between the four. Of the four high-profile programs in the Final Four, their blood is the least blue overall. They’re also the only program left in the field that UK doesn’t normally come across and therefore doesn’t have issues with.

Losing Justin Moore for the Final Four also gives them a newfound underdog feel. They’re more than capable of beating Kansas, but the loss of their second-leading scorer makes it that much harder.

The Wildcats have been one of the more successful programs in the country with two titles in 2016 and 2018. Besides not wanting to see that success continue, there are almost zero negatives for the UK faithful if Jay Wright wins another championship.

All gripes aside, these should be three really good games between four top-notch programs. I just also couldn’t blame any of the Big Blue faithful who can’t bring themselves to watch it. All that’s left to do is wait and see as we watch the last bit of college basketball until October.