So it will be Kentucky, as expected, versus Kansas, a mild upset.
Kentucky had little trouble dispatching its in-state brother as Anthony Davis showed why he is the national player of the year. Davis dominated the game. He scored 18 points and had 14 rebounds and 5 blocked shots, something no one had done since Danny Manning in 1988.
In the second game, player of the year runner-up Thomas Robinson came back from a poor first half to lead the Jayhawks to a comeback victory over Ohio State.
Down by as many as 13 in the first half, Kansas took the lead for good with under 2 minutes to play. Robinson scored 19 points and had eight rebounds, outplaying Ohio State’s Jared Sullinger.
The day started with the Jewish Coaches breakfast (yes, there are lots of them), where I spent time with former Hawaii assistant Eran Ganot, who is an assistant at Saint Mary’s. I also spent time with Columbia head coach Kyle Smith, who you might recall was the runner-up for the Hawaii job that went to Gib Arnold. Both keep up on things in Manoa.
Met with John Feinstein to catch up on his latest book. Many years ago, he was in Hawaii for the Rainbow Classic the same year I hosted North Carolina State, and he spent much of his time with N.C. State coach Jim Valvano. That was the year he wrote a book about the year in college basketball. I am actually in the book, but that’s another story.
Sitting together at the games were Roy Williams of North Carolina and Jim Boeheim of Syracuse. You might recall they both lost in the regional finals. Both teams are on their way to Maui, the Tar Heels this year and the Orange the next. Boeheim told me Syracuse would be there, but 50-50 if he would be there. Maybe he was joking, but after the year Syracuse had off the court, who knows?
By the way, I am moving up, or at least the paper is. I sat next to writers from the New York Times, the New York Post and ESPN.com — in the second press row along the baseline.
Today is a day off from basketball and another chance to enjoy New Orleans. Oh boy, more great food, music (Jimmy Buffett) and whatever.
On Monday, Kansas can give Kentucky a game, as Robinson might be able to keep Davis away from the basket. But this Kentucky team is too much for anyone in college basketball.
On the bus Saturday, an assistant from a Division I school told me he thought Kentucky could beat at least two teams in the NBA. He might be right.
By the way, Arnold is not here, although two assistants are. This is a so-called "dead period" in recruiting, but I am sure Gib is doing whatever he can within the rules to replace the players lost to eligibility and "the pros."
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Jeff Portnoy‘s blog, Hoops Talk, can be read at staradvertiser.com.
