Anthony Davis Leads Kentucky over Louisville; Kansas Shoots Down Ohio State; Kansas-Kentucky Final Monday Night

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, March 31, 2012

National Semi-Final: Kentucky 79 Louisville 71 - The highly-anticipated Final Four meeting between Louisville and Kentucky lived up to its billing, but in the end, Kentucky forward Anthony Davis proved virtually unstoppable.

Kentucky led almost the entire game, though the Cardinals mounted a second-half rally that eventually tied the game, but the Wildcats always had an answer, even under pressure situations. Usually, that answer was Davis, who led the Wildcats with 19 points and 14 rebounds, reaching the national championship game for the first time since they won it all in 1998.

Davis had all his stuff working in the win, hitting seven of nine shots from the field and adding four of six from the foul line. On defense, he made the lane a no-driving zone for the Cardinals, blocking five shots, but mostly just imposing his presence in the middle, forcing Louisville into a shooting nightmare of 35% for the game while the Wildcats were hoisting it at a 57% clip.

Despite losing the rebounding battle, 37-32, and Louisville's 16 offensive boards, the Cardinals were forced into tough second-chance shots, many of which realistically had no chance of finding the inside of the rim.

For Louisville head coach Rick Pitino, the irony was bitter, because the last time the Wildcats won the national championship he was their head coach.

John Calipari, who has guided Kentucky to a 37-2 record, has to work his coaching magic for just one more game in order to fulfill his goal of winning a national title. Calipari has coached Kentucky for three seasons, but this team, despite its youth, appears to have all the elements necessary to complete the task and cut down the nets when they face the Kansas Jayhawks Monday night.


National Semi-Final: Kansas 64 Ohio State 62 - Kansas roared back in the second half, erasing a 34-25 Ohio State half time lead, to win their Final Four meeting with the Buckeyes and proceed to the national championship game with Kentucky Monday night.

The Jayhawks couldn't get into a smooth offense in the first half, eventually falling behind by as many as 13 points as Jared Sullinger and Ohio State stormed to what appeared to be an insurmountable lead.

Kansas head coach Bill Self never lost faith in his players' abilities and the Jayhawks used pressure defense in the final 20 minutes to force Ohio State into mistakes and tough shooting chances. Though the game had a helter-skelter quality to it throughout, Kansas kept pressing until finally taking the lead for good with 1.35 left when Travis Relaford calmly tossed in two free throws to give the Jayhawks a 60-59 advantage. A driving layup by Elijah Johnson off a Jeff Withey blocked shot gave Kansas a 62-59 lead with 1:08 to play.

Ohio State eventually cut the lead back to one at 62-61 on a William Buford dunk, but there were only nine ticks left on the clock by then. The Buckeyes fouled Tyshawn Taylor with seven seconds to go, and the senior nailed both freebies to put the Jayhawks back up by three.

With time running down, Kansas chose to foul Aaron Craft, sending him to the line for a 1-and-1. Craft made the front end and purposely missed the second shot and was called for a lane violation as he raced in after his purposeful miss.

With just 2.5 on the clock, Kansas quickly inbounded the ball and the confused Ohio State players failed ot foul, ending the game and sending Kansas back to the championship game for the second time in five years. The Jawhawks won the national championship in 2008, giving Self his first title. The Jayhawks-Wildcats showdown Monday will feature two of the most storied programs in college basketball history.

Kansas will be seeking its fourth tournament championship and sixth overall. Kentucky has won the championship tourney seven times and was also national champion in 1933.

Game time for the final game of the college basketball season is set for an opening tip at 9:23 pm EDT, Monday, April 2nd. The game will be televised nationally by CBS.

Anthony Davis, Thomas Robinson Power Wildcats, Jayhawks to Wins

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, February 25, 2012

With just two weeks to go before selection Sunday, there were plenty of surprises and hard-earned wins on the hardwoods of America on Saturday, though the finest performances were secured by two big men who will likely be 1-2 in voting for college player of the year, Kentucky's Anthony Davis and Kansas forward, Thomas Robinson.

Davis led the top-ranked Kentucky Wildcats to an 83-74 win over a testy Vanderbilt bunch which pushed them until the very end. Scoring a game high 28-points, Davis was 10-for-11 from the field and 8-for-9 from the foul line, to go with 11 rebounds and six blocked shots. His 28 points surpassed his career high of 27 scored against Arkansas earlier in the season. It was his 12th double-double of the season.

Kentucky's win was its 20th straight and 14th without a loss in the SEC. The victory, coupled with Florida's 76-62 loss at Georgia, earned the Wildcats their 45th regular season conference title and second under coach Calipari.

The Wildcats have just two games remaining on the conference schedule - at home against Georgia, March 1, and at Florida on March 4. Should they win both, they would become just the third Kentucky squad to finish the SEC season without a loss. The 1996 team won the national championship, while the 2003 unit were taken out in the regional semi-final.

Kentucky will almost certainly take one of the four #1 seeds in the NCAA tourney and very likely could be the #1 overall seed.

At Kansas, Thomas Robinson led the Jayhawks back from a 19-point deficit with 28 points and 12 rebounds to take down Missouri in overtime, 87-86, in a fitting finale to one of college basketball's fiercest rivalries.

The Jayhawks and Tigers have been going at it on the courts since 1907. The game was the 267th time the two Big 12 contestants have met, and, with Missouri joining the SEC next season, possibly the last. The two teams, which have split wins on their home courts this season, may meet again in the conference tournament.

Robinson led the Kansas comeback on 10 of 21 shooting and an 8-for-9 effort from the stripe. He also had 12 boards, for his 20th double-double as the Jayhawks all but sewed up the Big 12 title. Robinson has scored in double figures in every game this season except one, a December 29 rout of Howard in which he played only 22 minutes and tallied nine points.

#4 Kansas, 24-5 and 14-2 in conference play, has just two regular season games remaining, at Oklahoma State on February 27 and at home for Texas on March 3. They lead the 12-4 Tigers by two games in the standings. Missouri is ranked 3rd in the latest AP poll and is 25-4 overall.

NOTABLE: Among the upsets dotting the college hoops landscape on Saturday were St. John's taking down #20 Notre Dame, 61-58; St. Joseph's taking out #22 Temple, 82-72; and TCU knocking off #24 New Mexico, 83-64. Since back-to-back wins over Mountain West powerhouses, UNLV and San Diego State, the Lobos have lost two straight, both on the road. The conference is deadlocked with New Mexico, UNLV and San Diego State all posting 8-4 marks, with TCU a game back at 7-5.

#2 Syracuse wrapped up the Big East regular season crown with a 71-69 victory at Connecticut, their ninth under head coach Jim Boeheim. The Orange are 29-1 and 16-1 in the Big East, their best marks ever. The win also secured a double bye in the upcoming conference tournament which Syracuse has won five times, all under the tutelage of coach Boeheim.

Anthony Davis Continues to Amaze as #1 Kentucky Improves to 22-1

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, January 31, 2012

The way Kentucky is playing these days, there's a real possibility that they'll head to the NCAA tournament as not only the top-ranked team in the country, but also the #1 seed in the tournament.

The Wildcats won their 14th straight game, pounding Tennessee, 69-44, behind their budding superstar freshman center, Anthony Davis, who led all scorers with 18 points, adding eight rebounds, three assists and seven blocks to his impressive resume.

Davis, the heart of Kentucky's stifling defense, leads the country in blocked shots and leads his team in both scoring and rebounding. He was 6-for-7 from the field and did the same from the foul line. The Volunteers, which shot just 28% for the game, had no answers for the lanky center, falling to 10-11 and 2-5 in the SEC.

Kentucky leads the conference with an 8-0 record. Their closest pursuer, Florida, is two games back, at 5-2. The Gators have a meeting with the Wildcats at Rupp Arena on Tuesday, February 7. By then, the Wildcats should be 23-1. They play at South Carolina - last in the conference at 1-5 - on Saturday, February 4.

NOTABLE: The Big Ten continues to be the most contentious conference in America. Illinois upset Michigan State on Tuesday, 42-41, dropping the Spartans to third place in the conference at 6-3, while the Illini improved to 5-4 and 16-6 overall. Illinois is unlikely to unseat 7-2 Ohio State or Wisconsin (currently in second place, at 7-3) atop the standings, though they have a reasonable chance of receiving an at-large bid from the NCAA tournament committee.

Kentucky Goes to 18-1 Behind Anthony Davis' 27 Points and 14 Boards

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, January 17, 2012

#2 Kentucky rolled past another SEC opponent Tuesday night, topping the Arkansas Razorbacks (13-5), 86-63, behind a career high 27 points and 14 rebounds from their likely one-and-done freshman sensation, Anthony Davis.

The outcome never in doubt on Kentucky's home court, Rupp Arena, the Wildcats opened with a flurry and never looked back, stretching their 37-21 half time lead to the 23-point victory.

Davis, the 6'10" forward on every NBA scout's must-see list, also swatted away seven shots, setting a new single-season mark for Kentucky ballers. Leading the nation in blocked shots with 89, Davis broke the Kentucky record of 84, previously held by Melvin Turpin and Andre Riddick.

The fabulous freshman hit 10 of 12 shots and made seven of eight free throws. four of his 14 rebounds were on the defensive end.

Kentucky outshot the Razorbacks, 57% to 40%, and out-rebounded them, 38-26.

The 18-1 Wildcats stretched the nation's longest winning streak to 46 straight. They've won ten in a row since their only loss of the season, a 73-72 defeat at Indiana.

NOTABLE: When your team loses by 100 points, maybe the AD might want to reconsider the scheduling. That could be the case for Toccoa Falls, after falling victim to the Western Carolina Catamounts, 141-39, who put nine players in double figures, led 72-17 at the half and out-rebounded the Eagles, 62-16.

Toccoa Falls plays in the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) and maybe should just stay there.

Anthony Davis Has 4th Straight Double-Double as Kentucky Rolls to 14-1

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Leading at half time with a 30-27 edge, the Arkansas-Little Rock Trojans gave #2 Kentucky something to discuss during intermission.

Apparently, with conference play beginning in just four days - January 7 vs. South Carolina - the Wildcats worked things out and blitzed the Trojans in the second half, scoring 46 points to Little Rock's 21 for an easy-looking 73-51 victory.

When all was said and done, the Wildcats held their opponents to just 31% shooting, while Kentucky hit half their field goal attempts (28-56), out-rebounded them 47-19 and blocked 12 shots. Despite their slow start and 19 turnovers, the Wildcats proved too much for the smaller Trojan squad.

Three of those blocks belonged to freshman sensation Anthony Davis, who leads the nation with 67 blocks. Davis also led the Wildcats on the scoreboard with 22 points, and rebounds, with 16.

The 6'10" Davis hit on 9 of 11 shots from the field and notched his 4th straight double-double and 8th overall.

Kentucky is 14-1 and have won six straight following their only setback, a 73-72 loss at Indiana.

NOTABLE: Seton Hall topped the Huskies of Connecticut for the first time in ten years (2001), 75-63, as Jordan Theodore scored 19 points and distributed 11 assists. Three other Pirate starters scored in double figures and held the Huskies to just 35% shooting.

7-0 Wildcats Rip Red Storm Behind 26 from Terrence Jones and 15-15 from Anthony Davis

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, December 2, 2011

It's still early in the season, but the Kentucky Wildcats, ranked #1 in the country this week after North Carolina's loss to UNLV, look like a good bet to make it to the Final Four come March.

As usual, coach John Calipari has done a great recruiting job and has assembled a team loaded with hungry, talented underclassmen, two of which - sophomore Terrence Jones and freshman Anthony Davis - led the Wildcats to their seventh win without a loss, dropping St. John's, 81-59, on Kentucky's home court at Rupp Arena.

Jones pumped in a game-high 26 points on seven of 12 shooting, adding 11 points from the foul line, on 16 free throw attempts. A 6'9" forward, Jones also snagged nine rebounds, blocked four shots and ripped off four steals.

His performance wasn't enough to overshadow his front court running mate. 6'10" Davis had a double-double with 15 points and 15 boards. He also blocked eight shots and picked off a couple of steals.

The Wildcats were not only impressive on the offensive end, but their stifling interior defense held the Red Storm to just 32% and out-rebounded the Johnnies, 48-43.

Kentucky will have a great opportunity to prove just how good they are on Saturday, when the North Carolina Tar Heels come calling for a nationally-televised game at high noon in Rupp Arena.