Can Michigan win it all on Monday night?

The NCAA Final Four is coming up, and with the Kevin Ware injury and the Rutgers incident, it seems I have to remind everyone some big games will be played this Saturday.

It will be nice to finally watch and talk about actual basketball.

I am ready right now for the action, and as Wichita's star soars and the exposure for the school and team increases, the big story on the court will be whether No. 9-seed Wichita State has a shot at beating the No. 1-seed Louisville Cardinals.

I believe it will be about pressure and I'm banking on a game plan in which the Wichita State players can get over the midcourt line against Rick Pitino's smothering defense. If they can do that and are able to slow down the pace of the game and score, then an upset is possible.

Louisville's defense is fantastic and good at producing turnovers, which they ultimately turn into points, but even so here's my game prediction: Wichita State 57, Louisville 54.

For the next game, you can all call me Big Ten Mike because I'm taking the Wolverines of Michigan over Syracuse.

Trey Burke, Glenn Robinson III, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Mitch McGary will beat the zone of Syracuse. I think if they can get an early lead, they will use it to their advantage by taking some time off the clock and forcing Syracuse to make some defensive adjustments early on. My final score: Michigan 71, Syracuse 61.

Monday night, I'm predicting Michigan beats Wichita State University 67-55 and the Big Ten wins its second title in 23 years!

Flower power:Tyler Flowers of the White Sox is making his critics, including me, look bad right now, which is fine in my book. Even though A.J. Pierzynski almost caught a perfect game by Texas Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish, Flowers is making White Sox general manager Rick Hahn look good right now, so let's give credit where credit is due. Starting out well against the Kansas City Royals is a huge positive because the mediocre teams have always given the Southsiders issues. Ventura has a year under his belt, they are playing relaxed baseball and even though their defense, which is usually good, has been spotty early there's reason for hope.It's a long season, though, and you should keep in mind that last year's team was right there but fell in September.Can this team can get it done? No one knows, but I like what I see so far.Program note:Watch me on #8220;Mancow#8221; on WPWR Ch. 50 at 6 a.m. Friday, Monday and Wednesday.Birthday wishes:Happy birthday to our dog Lucky's favorite girl and my lovely wife, Be-Be, on Sunday.#376; Mike North's column appears each Tuesday and Friday in the Daily Herald, and his video commentary can be found Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at dailyherald.com. For more, visit northtonorth.com.