Final Four edition of Fact or Fiction. Fact!

1. The winner in the matchup of Greg Oden and Roy Hibbert will tilt the balance in the Ohio… 1. The winner in the matchup of Greg Oden and Roy Hibbert will tilt the balance in the Ohio State-Georgetown semifinal.

Geoff Dutelle: Fiction. The key to the Hoyas’ success is contingent on their best player – Jeff Green. It’s simple: When the junior struggles, so does Georgetown. In the Hoyas’ six losses this season, Green has only scored in double figures once, a January loss to Pitt that the Hoyas should have won. He scored two points in a loss to Old Dominion, five in a defeat to Oregon and eight in a road loss to Duke. Case-in-point, Green scores points, Hoyas move on to the finals.

Dave Thomas: Fact. While there will certainly be other important players in this semifinal game, I don’t think anyone will have the impact Oden and Hibbert will have on their respective teams. Both of these 7-footers are the keys to each team’s offensive game plans. They are also huge on the defensive end, affecting their opponents’ shot selection. Whoever can win the matchup down low will force the other team to double down, creating an opening for the talented perimeter players. Whoever can free up their guards by going inside-out will win the game.

2. Ben Howland will get UCLA back to the title game by defeating Florida.

GD: Fiction. They aren’t in California anymore. It’s not that the Bruins won their two regional games because they played in their home state, but it certainly didn’t hurt. The Gators are impervious to distance, though. This year’s team is playing its best basketball of the season right now, and I’m not sure we can say the same for UCLA. The Bruins simply can’t score the basketball well enough to run with the Gators, even if their defense is fantastic.

DT: Fiction. Nothing against Howland and his Bruins, I just don’t see them beating the Gators. While they have great perimeter players like Darren Collison, I just don’t see them having an answer for Al Horford and Joakim Noah underneath. The Gators have been poised all year to defend their title, and nothing would reaffirm that more than beating the team they pounded in last year’s championship game. While I think this year’s contest will be closer than the 73-57 Florida win a year ago, I do like the Gators’ size and experience in this one.

3. Georgetown, the lone Big East representative in the Final Four, will advance to the championship game on Monday.

GD: Fact. I like Ohio State but I hate the Big Ten. I just don’t trust this team to be able to score consistently enough. Recall the Buckeyes’ games leading up to the NCAA Tournament, a stretch in which they cracked the 70-point mark only once in six games. I think the score of the Big Ten championship game with Wisconsin was 6-2 for about four minutes of game time. The Buckeyes are young and talented, but the Hoyas are experienced and talented. I think Georgetown scores just enough to move past the Buckeyes.

DT: Fact. I think the Hoyas are just a more balanced team, and the Buckeyes are just too inconsistent. While Georgetown did have a scare and advanced on a last-second shot that should have been called a travel, no team has been on the brink of elimination more times than the Buckeyes. I do think it’s good for such a young team to keep winning those close games, but eventually I think it will catch up with them. I think it will happen against the Hoyas. The young Buckeyes have been in the national spotlight all year, but the lights will be even brighter in Atlanta. I look for the Hoyas to represent the Big East in the national championship.

4. The Florida Gators will repeat winning the national championship.

GD: Fact, and it kills me because Georgetown was my pick to win this for so long. The Hoyas and Gators are likely to meet in the title game, and I think Georgetown is the one team that can beat Florida. The Hoyas could have done it last year in the Sweet 16, losing by four in a tight game. Overall, though, I think Florida is, as much as I hate saying this, “on a mission.” All of the Gators’ players came back for a reason, and this is it – to cut down the nets again. Florida out-muscles Georgetown to win its second title in a row.

DT: Fact. I couldn’t agree more with Geoff and think that the Gators are definitely determined. They are so talented and so experienced and have all the necessary components to win the national title. The Gators don’t seem to have any weaknesses, and I think they will cut down the nets once again.