Kentucky Wildcats vs. Kansas Jayhawks National Championship Game Review

Opening tip of the 2012 NCAA National Championship.

Kentucky and Kansas did not disappoint the fans with this National Title game. Even though Kentucky was up for most of the game, Kansas showed signs of life which is why it came down to an exciting finish. Now, when I say "Kentucky was up for most of the game" that doesn't translate into domination of Kansas by any means. Any team could have been up 10 points on Kansas from the overall play of the Jayhawks. Poor ball handling,  not so great passing, at least 15 missed lay-ups, and also some defensive struggles to go along with the offensive blunders. But, Kentucky was also a cause of these errors and they used them to their advantage just about every time. 

Right from the get-go you could tell this was going to be an up-tempo contest, which is what Kansas and all other teams that have faced Kentucky try/tried to avoid. The Wildcats took a slight lead early but they kept it until the end. If you looked at the stat sheet you would think Anthony Davis wasn't a huge factor in the biggest game of the year which is terribly wrong. Granted, Davis was 1-10 from the field and ended with 6 points (4-6 in FT's), but his presence was felt on the defensive end and you could definitely tell by the way Kansas shot the ball. Numerous floaters and unbalanced shots to avoid being swatted by the 6'10'' Freshman. Just about the same thing goes for sophomore Terrence Jones who had only 9 points but was a transition threat all game.

The player that stood out to me and probably everyone else who watched was Kansas Jayhawk junior Thomas Robinson. He played an outstanding game overall and ended the game with 18 points and 17 boards and 1 dime. It seemed like whenever KU needed a bucket to keep the Wildcat lead within reach, he was there to deliver despite a couple lay-up miscues. Another Kansas player that shined like he's been known to do is senior guard Tyshawn Taylor who was the Jayhawks leading scorer with 19. He gave the Kentucky defense fits in transition and 1-on-1 dribble drives straight to the cup. 

MOMENTS AFTER THE FINAL BUZZER.

Towards the end of the game, Kentucky hit the big shots and Kansas made the turnovers to seal the heavyweight bout. Doron Lamb, whom led all scorers with 22, hit a couple clutch 3 pointers to extend the lead late in the game and put even more pressure on the Kansas offense. Kentucky made their free throws to clinch the victory which was the most likely a concern for Calipari who lost the 2008 National Championship to Bill Self and the Jayhawks after Derrick Rose missed numerous free throws which lead to Mario Chalmers hitting the game tying 3 to send it into OT. Overall, a very entertaining and high-octane National Championship game that most of America knew the outcome to before the tournament even started. Hats off to the Kansas Jayhawks who played with heart throughout but came up a little short. Congrats to the National Champion Kentucky Wildcats!