The only surprise was Kansas’ first-half strategy

No surprise. Kentucky is the 2012 national champion.

But what was a surprise to me was Kansas coach Bill Self’s decision in the first half to try and run with the Wildcats.

Big mistake.

Kentucky built an 18-point first-half lead, and although Kansas cut it to five with under 2 minutes to play, it was too little, too late against a team as good as Kentucky.

Kansas had trailed almost every game it played in this tournament, and had come back to win every game. But not this one.

Don’t blame Kansas All-American Thomas Robinson. He had 18 points and 17 rebounds. And his teammate Tyshawn Taylor added 19 points.

But even with Player of the Year Anthony Davis scoring only six points on 1-for-10 shooting, Kentucky’s other great players showed why the Wildcats have at least three first-round NBA Draft picks.

Oh, by the way, Davis had 16 rebounds and tied a championship-game record with six blocks to go along with a team-leading five assists. Doron Lamb had 22 points and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist 11 points and six rebounds.

It was Kentucky’s year. Once North Carolina’s injuries mounted, everyone picked the Wildcats to win it all.

But you still have to do it on the court, and they did.

Are they one of the great teams ever in college basketball?

In the first half, they got my vote. But the second half showed they could be vulnerable. Unfortunately, Kansas needed to play a halfcourt game and it wasn’t until the second half that the Jayhawks changed their strategy. By then, the die was cast.

It was a great Final Four, even though only one game was truly competitive. New Orleans put on quite a show, except for the thunderstorms that hit about 2 hours before game time. New Orleans is back from the devastation of Katrina.

Davis is only the fourth freshman to win the Most Outstanding Player award, and he will be the first pick in the draft. As for Kansas, which lost four starters from last year’s team, getting to the final game was quite an accomplishment.

Monday morning, I attended the Naismith Hall of Fame press conference to announce the new inductees.

Present at the conference were inductees Reggie Miller, Ralph Sampson and Hawaii resident Don Nelson. He has a house on Maui.

Nike president Phil Knight, another new inductee, was also there along with Cousy Point Guard of the year Kendall Marshall of North Carolina and Tar Heels coach Roy Williams.

So to the strains of My Old Kentucky Home, another Final Four comes to a close. I will have more to report Wednesday on Hoops Talk on KKEA, 1420-AM, at 7 p.m.

Next year, Atlanta. Don’t be surprised if Kentucky is back, although it will have mostly new faces. It will be the 75th anniversary of what I think is the greatest event in sports.

Jeff Portnoy‘s blog, Hoops Talk, can be read at blogs.staradvertiser.com.