I admit as an Illinois alum, there is some jealousy involved here. I mean, even in off years, UConn and Kentucky still go to the NCAA final.  C’mon.

Their regular-season records seem more in line with the NIT. Yet one of them is going to win another title tonight. The rich get richer, right? It doesn’t seem fair.

It will be interesting to see if the country embraces a No. 7 vs. No. 8 seed final. The big-name appeal of the programs likely will help aid CBS’ rating tonight. If you are going to have two low-seeded teams, better to be UConn-Kentucky than let’s say,  Kansas State-San Diego State.

However, CBS can’t play up the Cinderella factor tonight, not with the history of these programs. And the star power also is lacking. There won’t be a consensus No. 1 or 2 pick on the floor.

I don’t think CBS is expecting to do a big number tonight, especially based on the semifinal ratings.

There are two sides to that story. CBS and Turner Sports proudly boasted that Saturday’s Kentucky-Wisconsin game was the most-viewed non-football event in cable history with 16.7 viewers.

However, Sports Media Watch has the other side of the story.

Despite the record, Kentucky/Wisconsin ranks as the lowest rated (tie) Final Four game in the late window in five years and the least-viewed in four.

Obviously, being on TBS, TNT, and truTV instead of CBS was contributing factor; fewer TV homes on cable.

However, I also think there also was a lack of appeal for this Final Four. It wasn’t a sexy bunch, even with UConn and Kentucky.

I’ll watch tonight, but I won’t be happy.