This Final Four is full of veterans

A bunch of one-anddone phenoms brought together by Kentucky coach John Calipari stepped into the spotlight of the cavernous Superdome 10 years ago, oozing with the kind of NBA potential that made it clear their college basketball careers were about to end at the Final Four.

Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-gilchrist and the rest of them went out on top, too, beating Kansas in the Big Easy to deliver the Wildcats their eighth national championship and Calipari the first of his career.

Fast-forward to the present, and the return of the Final Four to New Orleans, and there is a much more old-school feel to the national semifinals as each of the the participants — Duke, North Carolina, Kansas and Villanova — benefited in one way or another from COVID-19 waivers, medical redshirts and the explosion of the transfer portal.

“It’s the oldest that college basketball has ever been,” acknowledged Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, “so as a result of that, it’s going to be tougher to win.

I mean, I think (Shane) Battier played the most games here, 130-something. We’re playing against guys that have played 160 games, sometimes three of them are on the other team. That’s a lot.”

Indeed, all four teams in the Big Easy have the kind of savvy veterans once seemed endangered in the world of big-time college hoops, and together they are proving on the game’s biggest stage that experience still matters.

“That’s why we shouldn’t be shocked at anything that’s happened in the tournament,” the retiring Krzyzewski said, “because the age differential is so dramatic. For us, it’s been dramatic.”

Yes, the Blue Devils are the youngest team in New Orleans, but everything is relative. They still feature senior Joey Baker and fifth-year senior Theo John, who began his career at Marquette and is about to play in his 162nd game.

The experience has paid off. Young, talented teams such as Memphis were bounced early out of the NCAA Tournament, while hardened teams such as Providence, Saint Peter’s and Miami made runs into the second weekend.

“It takes a significant amount of time to get everyone to buy into your program,” explained Jayhawks coach Bill Self, who has had more success with veteran teams than with one-and-dones such as Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid.

“But,” Self cautioned, “I would say that talent plus experience is what wins.”

Miscellany

Jack Nunge made the go-ahead basket with 3.1 seconds left and Xavier won its first NIT championship in 64 years, rallying for a 73-72 victory over Texas A&M at Madison Square Garden.

Colby Jones scored 21 points for the Musketeers (23-13) and was selected the tournament’s most outstanding player.

• Longtime Miami associate head coach Chris Caputo accepted a contract offer to become the new coach at George Washington, multiple sources reported.

• The following players announced they were entering the NBA draft: Wisconsin guard and Big Ten Player of the Year Johnny Davis, Purdue guard Jaden Ivy and Notre Dame freshman guard Blake Wesley.