With a day to let all the great hoops sink in, here are some of my final thoughts on the Final Four:
KENTUCKY
--The team hit buckets when they needed too, finishing the game with a 57 percent field-goal percentage. The last team to shoot that good in a Final Four game was Syracuse in their 2003 win over Texas on their way to a National Championship.
--Anthony Davis scored 18 points to go along with 14 boards and five rebounds. The last player to get double-digit totals in points and rebounds with at least five blocks in a game was Kevin Durant for Texas in 2007.
--Despite having Michael Kidd-Gilchrist sit for 17 minutes of the game due to foul trouble the Wildcats prevailed. Much of the credit needs to go to senior Darius Miller, who finished with 13 points and several big plays in his 27 minutes.
--You have to like the way the Wildcats responded after the Cardinals tied the game at 49 as they answered with a 9-1 run to put the game away.
--Normally a strong free-throw shooting team, the Wildcats knocked down just 11-of-20 (55%) free-throw attempts. That could come back to bite them if not corrected on Monday.
LOUISVILLE
--Rick Pitino had the right game plan but not enough horses. Still, with most of the roster intact next season the future is bright.
--The Cardinals dominated the glass with 19 offensive rebounds and 15 second-chance field goal attempts, but they were just 5-of-15 (33.3 percent) on second-chance opportunities. Louisville missed too many easy shots all night long (16 layups/dunks).
KANSAS
--The Jayhawks won this game in the paint outscoring the Buckeyes 32-16 inside. Kansas blocked eight Ohio State shots inside the paint, including five taken by big man Jared Sullinger.
--Kansas is a comeback team, but keeps squeaking it out down the stretch. They outscored Ohio State 13-7 in the final five minutes of the game Saturday. The Buckeyes shot 2-of-10 during this stretch. For the tournament the Jayhaws have held opponents 19.5 percent shooting during the game’s final five minutes.
OHIO STATE
--The Buckeyes built a 13-point, first-half lead and took a 34-25 cushion into the locker room. However, Thad Matta got outcoached in the second half as Bill Self made the adjustments necessary and Matta failed to respond in time.
--Jared Sullinger scored just 13 points and hit just 5-of-19 shots on the game. It was a disappointing finish to the sophomore who returned this season to take care of unfinished business.
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College Hoops
2012 march madness, final four, kentucky wildcats, uk, louisville cardinals, kansas jayhawks, ohio state buckeyes