Mark Manuel

Mark Manuel

Mark Manuel can be heard in the Quad Cities on 101-3 KISS-FM and BIG 106.5, as well as in Iowa City and Cedar Rapids on 100.7 The Fox. Thanks for...Full Bio

 

Who Are You Betting On This Weekend? Baylor? Houston? UCLA? Gonzaga?

After a long and tumultuous road to travel, we have arrived. The Final Four of the 2021 NCAA Tournament is set for Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium—here’s a quick cheat sheet on the remaining four.

The Gonzaga Bulldogs won the West Region and sit at a perfect 30-0. It’s just their second ever Final Four with the first coming in 2017. They are lead by head coach Mark Few who has led them to the NCAA tourney each season he's been in charge and has a 35-22 in that span.

Their key player sharpshooting Corey Kispert and surprising Drew Timme with his Fu Manchu is having a monstrous tourney averaging 21.2 points and 7.5 rebounds in four games.

The Baylor Bears won the South Region and have a 26-2 record This is their third Final Four and first since 1950. They are led by head coach Scott Drew who has been the Baylor coach since 2003 with a 370-215 overall record and has taken the Bears to nine NCAA Tournaments.

Their key player is Davion Mitchell who is averaging 13.5 points, 4.8 assists and 2.0 steals per game in the NCAA Tournament.

The Houston Cougars won the Midwest Region and sit at 28-3 on the year. It is their sixth Final Four appearance with the last coming in 1984. Head coach Kelvin Sampson took over the Houston program in 2014 and is 167-63 in seven seasons with three NCAA Tournament appearances.

Their key player Quentin Grimes is the driving force behind Houston's top-10 offense. Grimes leads the team in scoring this season and is averaging 18.0 points per game during Houston's Final Four run.

Despite being a play-in team from the “First Four” the 11th seeded UCLA Bruins won the East Region. Their 22-9 record may not look like much but they—by far—have the most final fours with 18 appearances and 11 titles.

Head coach Mick Cronin came from the Cinci Bearcats in 2019 and brought them to the here for the first time since 2008. Their Key player is Kentucky transfer Johnny Juzang but the Bruins have a ton of fun players who can put up big numbers. And who doesn’t love an underdog.


Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content

BIG 106.5 Podcasts

See All

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS!