JAYHAWKS SET
Self, Kansas can rock more chalk
N EW ORLEANS — Even though the national semifinal between storied programs Kansas and Ohio State had the prime-time slot on CBS, it was relegated to the undercard in this Final Four. Kentucky’s impressive 6961 victory over Louisville in a traditionally bitter Commonwealth rivalry took center stage Saturday night in the opening game of this doubleheader at the Superdome. It may have been the sexier of the two games, but they don’t crown champions in the semifinals.
Ask Texas Western in 1966. Or North Carolina State in 1983. Or Villanova in 1985. They were all temporarily pushed off the red carpet by the Oscar-winning star power of a Kentucky-Duke semifinal in 1966, a Lou is ville-houston semi i n 1983 and a St. John’s-georgetown semi in 1985. But the upstarts wound up cutting down the nets.
Kansas, which defeated Ohio State, 64-62, in the more riveting of the two semifinals, will have similar motivational and emotional fuel. The Jayhawks, who were supposed to be in a rebuilding year and were picked to finish third in the Big 12, advanced to their second championship game in five years.
The last time they were in this type of rarefied air, they defeated favored Memphis, coached by current Kentucky coach John Calipari, i n overtime to win the 2008 tournament in San Antonio. That team had four pros, including guard Mario Chalmers, who sent the game into overtime with a 3-pointer at the end of regulation.
Kentucky will be a mountain to climb. The ’Cats are going after their eighth national title.
The allusions Rick Pitino made to the Wildcats’ 6-10 freshman center Anthony Davis as a Bill Russell on the collegiate level are accurate. Davis is the biggest talent to play in this tournament since Danny Manning of Kansas in 1988 and the best big man since Bill Walton during the UCLA dynasty years. But Walton didn’t have that kind of handle against pressure. The ’Cats also have five other draftable players, four of them likely first-round picks.
But Kansas, like Kentucky, has its own rich history, winning five national titles and making 12 Final Four appearances. The Jayhawks are more than capable of challenging Kentucky, especially if the ’Cats are emotionally drained and exhausted from the week-long hype and 40 hard-fought minutes against the Cards.
Kansas forward Thomas Robinson, who had 19 points and eight rebounds, has some Manning in him. The Jayhawks also have a shot-blocking seven-foot big man in Jeff Withey, who had seven blocks and altered five shots against the Buckeyes, and an athletic backcourt that can step up when senior point guard Tyshawn Taylor doesn’t have a signature game.
And they also have Bill Self, who has done a coach-of-the-year job.
The Jayhawks, who looked flat in the first half when they fell behind by nine, rallied just as they did in earlier rounds against Purdue and North Carolina. They put four players in double figures and limited Ohio State to just two field goals in the last six minutes and just one after point guard Aaron Craft scored on a driving layup to give the Buckeyes a 59-56 lead with 2:21 to play. “That’s just been our whole thing this year, coming back from being down’’ Robinson said. “I don’t like doing it, but for some reason my team is pretty good when we’re down.’’
Kansas is in a survive-and-advance mode and, if either Davis or freshman forward Michael Kidd-gilchrist sits for any length of time with foul trouble, the Jayhawks have more than a puncher’s chance. “We get a chance to go up against a team that has been the best in the country since Day 1,” Self said. “But we have a lot of guys who have come on and like to compete.”
He also said this: “Davis is the best shot blocker in the country, but I think Withey A might be the second-best.’’ nything can happen in this oneand-done tournament, as we saw in 1983. N.C. State, which got an invite to the Big Dance because it earned an automatic bid by winning the ACC tournament, came out of nowhere that year to stun seemingly invincible Houston, 54-52, in Albuquerque when Lorenzo Charles threw down a game-winning dunk at the buzzer after rebounding a desperation 30-foot air ball by Dereck Whittenburg. No one saw that coming, except maybe the late N.C. State coach and prophet Jim Valvano.
This isn’t the NBA’S best-of-seven playoffs, where the best team generally wins.
NEW ORLEANS – Kansas is back to try to ruin another John Calipari coronation.
The Jayhawks played almost all of their national semifinal game against Ohio State from behind. Then in the final minutes, they got two tremendous blocked shots by 7-foot center Jeff Withey that gave them enough room to squeeze past the Buckeyes, 64-62, before 73,361 at the Superdome Saturday night.
While the Kansas players raced the court celebrating, Ohio State star Jared Sullinger, who turned down being a certain NBA lottery pick a year ago to pursue a national championship, tearfully lay down at center court. His frustration was obvious after struggling against Withey and the Jayhawks. He finished with 13 points on 5-for19 shooting.
The Jayhawks (32-6) set up a championship game between the two most successful programs in NCAA history. They will meet Kentucky (37-2) for the crown Monday. Kansas is seeking its fourth national title and first since 2008, when it came from behind to beat Calipari’s Memphis squad in overtime.
“We’ve got to play a lot better than that playing a terrific team,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “It’s pretty cool to having the winningest program of all-time and the second-winningest program of alltime hooking up on Monday night.”
Kansas had to overcome a 3425 halftime defici after one of its worst offensive halves of the season. It briefly grabbed its first lead since 2-0 when Travis Releford made two free throws with 2:48 to play, fell behind again and then managed to knot the score 58-58 when Tyshawn Taylor, out of Hoboken, drove for a layup with 2:09 left.
Ohio State’s next possession ended with Withey foiling Aaron Craft’s drive and starting a run out that ended with Releford being fouled for two free throws and a two-point lead. Withey swatted William Buford on the next possession to start a fast break for Elijah Johnson and a 62-58 margin.
“My teammates definitely look at me and see me as a protector,” said Withey, who had seven blocks, including two of Sullinger on one possession. “They know if they get beat, I’m there. . . . I guess my length bothered them.”
“They had us. (withey) turns two points for Ohio State into two points for us because Elijah made a great play,” Self said. “(Kentucky’s) Anthony Davis is the best shotblocker in the country. But I think Jeff is probably second-best. I don’t know anybody out there that blocks shots or alters better than Jeff does. . . . You’re going to have two great shot blockers going against each other.”
The Buckeyes (318) managed to be in a one-possession game in the final seconds after Taylor threw away the game-sealing steal and Aaron Craft got fouled at the other end. He made the first free throw to cut the margin to 6462 with 2.9 seconds on the clock. He intentionally missed the second, but in his haste to collect the rebound for a potential game-tying shot, he committed a lane violation that was whistled by official Jamie Luckie, essentially ending the contest.
After the final buzzer, Craft stood and stared at Luckie, arms wide and palms up in disbelief. The court was pelted with souvenir seat cushions, but it was unclear whether they were thrown by celebrating Kansas fans or the angry Ohio State fans who filled the arena with boos after Luckie’s call.
“I left the line early apparently. You have to live with it,” Craft.
Thomas Robinson had 19 points, Releford 15 points, Johnson 13 points and Taylor 10 points and nine assists for the Jayhawks. Buford had 19 points and Craft 11 for the Buckeyes.
Self drew some parallels between Kentucky and the 2008 Memphis team, which was considered a juggernaut.
“The Memphis team that year was obviously as good a team as anybody in the country. We were fortunate to win that game.. . . made a lot of plays down the stretch,” he said. “That Memphis team is very similar. . . . but I think this Kentucky team is better than that Memphis team was.”