2015 NCAA Men's College Basketball Championship

So some of you might be wondering where my write ups of college basketball have been like they were a year ago last year. Well, I'll be honest with you when I say that this year's college basketball season was not really anything very impressive due to what I feel was a lack of standout talent. But this game is exactly what I've been looking and waiting for in two powerhouse teams facing off. But more importantly, we get to witness the two best college basketball players this year in my opinion.

So today, April 6, 2015 at 8:30 PM, there will be three states which will be focused on what will be happening in the 2015 NCAA men's college basketball championship between the West Regional No. 1 seeded Wisconsin Badgers and the South Regional No. 1 seeded Duke Blue Devils. Of course, the states of Wisconsin and North Carolina have something be able to cheer about as Duke is in NC and Wisconsin is in... well you know. But what is the third state I am talking about? Well, it happens to be my home state of Illinois as today's game features two centers, Frank Kaminsky for Wisconsin and Jahlil Okafor for Duke, that both call Illinois home as well.

Frank Kaminsky at Benet Academy
back in high school

One one side, you have Frank Kaminsky. He grew up in Lisle, Il. and attended Benet Academy where he became a huge star in high school. I should know because Kaminsky and I are the same age and I was at a few of the big man's games back in 2010 when I was a student attending Glenbard North High School. he always came off to me as being something similar to that of Dallas Mavericks' center Dirk Nowitzki because he has skills in being a powerful force inside and being able to control the glass but can always sink a nice jump shot every now and then when called to do so.

For Kaminsky, he's 7'0" 235 lbs. which worked beautifully against Kentucky in what may have been his biggest game up to this point. Against his equal-sized combatant, Wildcat center Willie Cauley-Stein, Frank Kaminsky demonstrated that his game is far better and stronger than Cauley-Stein's is right now. Sure, Cauley-Stein can get the rebounds and send back shots, but he seems too finesse about attacking the basket with not much use of weight, throwing the hip and elbows. As for Kaminsky, he can do all that Cauley-Stein does well along with scoring with a finesse/power combination to his game.

Frank Kaminsky's agressive strength will  be
 the difference maker between him and Okafor.

It's incredible to think that I once was in high school at the same time as him and got the chance to watch him play before this moment because I remember those few games and cannot believe how much he has grown in his game and personally. I can only imagine what lies ahead for this young man at the next level. Personally, I feel that Kaminsky may be the finest player in the NBA Draft this year should be this year's No. 1 overall pick over his NCAA title opponent, Jahlil Okafor.

Now onto the other side where we find our man from Duke University, Jahlil Okafor. Just like Kaminsky, he grew up in Illinois. Unlike him though, Okafor grew up in the city of Chicago and attended Whitney Young High School where he simply could dunk everything and anything over anybody on any team. I only got to see one game of his when he played on TV against another school from out of state, which I have to say that he lit up the gym with his ability to dominate the low post. In a sense of NBA, I see him somewhere close to what we expect from former Kentucky and current Sacramento Kings' center DeMarcus Cousins because of his ability to be strong and powerful inside the the post and off the glass. However, don't expect anything close right off the back. It will take the youngster either another year of school ball or a potential 2-3 years in the NBA.

Jahlil Okafor has been throwing it down
since his days back at Whitney Young HS.

With Okafor's size of 6'11" 270 lbs., he is able to just simply go up and destroy the rim. His biggest plays come off of dunking the ball grabbing the offensive rebounds of the missed shots from his teammates. Against the Michigan State Spartans, Okafor was able to up 18 of the 81 points that were scored against the Spartans as well as grab 6 rebounds and block 2 shots. Michigan State's big men consist of two players in 6'9" forwards Matt Costello and Gavin Schilling which both saw Kahlil Okafor dominate over them throughout the game. Although Okafor may be better suited in the NBA as a power forward and will need to work on bringing a more well rounded game to the next level, Duke must be happy with how he has become so productive for them.

Just like Kaminsky, Okafor fascinated me with his dominance and skillful ability to get to the basket and make big plays in clutch situations. Although this is just his first [and potentially only] year in college, he's shown that he has come along from where he was at Whitney Young. I hope that he will stay another year at Duke, but it seems like the NBA Draft is calling and we'll see if he has the ability to bring it to the pros. I honestly think that Jahlil Okafor has the skills needed for the NBA as a center, but may be a more dominate force from the power forward position. Plus the word "power" is in it so it would make sense. Regardless, many experts do believe he'll be this year's No. 1 overall pick over Frank Kaminsky and other talented college players.

Okafor has continued to dominate and slam the ball
down on his opponents in every game thus far

This game is simple. It's Wisconsin versus Duke. It is the state of Wisconsin versus the the State of North Carolina. But in the neutral, Illinois stands proud to watch as these two amazing bug men are set to do battle today for the biggest prize in college basketball. For Wisconsin, Frank Kaminsky is in his senior year and wants to leaves a champion. What this would mean for the Badgers head coach, Bo Ryan, in earning his first Division I NCAA title? Well one would hope that it would start some talk about him getting a ticket to the Basketball Hall of Fame. For Duke, Jahlil Okafor is just a freshman who was the nation's top recruit in the country and would love nothing more than to go pro with a NCAA title under his belt. What this would mean for Duke head coach, Mike Krzyzewski, in earning his fifth Division I NCAA title? If he pulls this off, then Krzyzewski should be considered, if not already, as one of the Top 3 coaches in NCAA men's basketball history and Top 5 in basketball history overall. Today's national title game will see the suburban white guy in Madison go head-to-head with the black kid from the city in Durham. I cannot wait to see this one because I am telling you, this will be one hell of a title game.