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Kentucky's Anthony Davis and Chane Behanan of Louisville battle for the ball during NCAA Final Four game on Saturday.
NEW ORLEANS The national semifinal between blood rivals Kentucky and Louisville played out Saturday night much like a monster movie with a twist. The Wildcats seemed to be walking away from a mortally wounded Louisville team a few different times, only to look back and find the Cardinals breathing down their necks. But in the end, the monster proved not to be Louisville but rather Kentucky star Anthony Davis.
The 6-10 Davis had 18 points, 14 rebounds, five blocked shots and altered a load of others, helping to pave the way for Kentucky to finally take Louisvilles last breath in a 69-61 victory at the Superdome.
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Voted the National Player of the Year and the favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the next NBA draft, Davis dribbled out the final seconds of the clock, whipped the ball skyward and proclaimed over and over while gesturing toward the court, This is my stage! This is my stage!
Were from Kentucky were built for this, Davis said, explaining his shouts.
It was a close game, very emotional, he added. We fought all game with the goal to go to a national championship with a team starting three freshmen and two sophomores.
Were one game closer to our dreams so theres a lot of emotion there.
Louisville coach Rick Pitino underscored Davis impact in the most flattering of terms, saying: The difference, quite frankly, (was) just Anthony Davis is the No. 1 player picked in the draft.
When youre playing against Bill Russell at the pro level, you realize why the Celtics won 11 world championships. Wh en you see this young man at the collegiate level, you realize why theyre so good.
Not that their other players arent, but hes so much of a factor.
Kentucky (37-2) will be going for its eighth national championship and coach John Caliparis first on Monday night against Kansas, which defeated Ohio State, 64-62, in the other semifinal. The Wildcats, favored by 6 points, are 7-3 in title games, but havent won one since 1998. Calipari coached Memphis to the 2008 national final, but his team blew a late lead and fell to Bill Selfs Jayhawks in overtime.
Calipari is at his fourth Final Four and second straight but for all the victories and all the NBA players he has churned out of his programs, there is the baggage of having a pair of those Final Fours in 1996 with Massachusetts and 2008 with Memphis vacated for NCAA violations. Calipari says that he does not need to win a title for some kind of vindication but does not deny he wants to win.
Peyton Siva made a long three-point shot with 9:12 left to cap a 10-1 run and bring Louisville (30-10) into a 49-49 tie with 9:12 to play, and it was there that the Cardinals hoped Kentuckys inexperience might finally sabotage its enormous talent advantage.
Maybe in some other circumstances, itd be possible, Louisvilles Kyle Kuric said. They really dont play like freshmen. They just have maturity in just the way they play.
They carry themselves with confidence. They arent shy or afraid of big moments. They always step up and come through.
Kentucky led by 10 five different times in the first half and by as much as 45-32 on two Davis free throws with 16:14 to play, but finally played well enough on both ends to snuff Louisville.
The Cats held Louisville without a basket 0-for-9 for 6:17 while breaking its press for easy baskets in an 11-2 run. The Cardinals never recovered.
Darius Miller had 13 points and Queens product Doron Lamb 10 for the Wildcats, whose 57 shooting was somewhat nullified by Louisvilles 19 offensive rebounds. Siva had 11 points for the Cardinals, who shot 35.
Pitino, who won it all at Kentucky in 1996, turned in one of his most impressive coaching jobs, reeling off four wins in four days in the Big East Tournament and knocking off top-seeded Michigan State in the Sweet 16 with a team with no big stars to get here.
When I compared them a few weeks ago to the 87 Providence (Final Four) team, it was in terms of effort and attitude, Pitino said.
They made me really, really proud. They battled a great team tonight. We just needed a lot of things to go right down the stretch.
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