Bill Self Speaks At Kansas' End-Of-Year Banquet

In celebration for a fantastic 2011-12 season and as a means of letting the fans give one last chance to cheer on their team, the Kansas Jayhawks held a banquet in Lawrence on Monday night. Head coach Bill Self showed a highlight video, then retold the story of the season that ended with KU the runners-up in the 2012 NCAA Tournament.

Bryan Cisler of JayhawkSlant.com attended the banquet and was able to collect some of Self's comments about his key players and their contributions to the team.

Self on Elijah Johnson: "He is the most analytical deep thinker of anybody on our team. He's the best interviewer that we have. He thinks about what he is going to say and puts great thought into it. We are the comeback kids because in large part because he doesn't start playing until after halftime. I think Tyshawn has played better than any guard we have had since I've been here, but the two most talented guards I have had since I have been here, and you talk about everything: speed, strength, slide, stroke, vision, and handles. The two best guards that we have recruited have been Sherron Collins and Elijah Johnson."

You can find more of Self's comments from the banquet at JawhawkSlant.com.

For all news and information regarding the Kansas Jayhawks, please visit Rock Chalk Talk.

Thomas Robinson Reportedly Set To Leave for NBA

After a stellar junior season that saw him average 17.9 points and 11.8 rebounds a game for Kansas, Thomas Robinson is reportedly set to enter the NBA draft, according to his head coach Bill Self.

Robinson is expected to officially announce that he will enter the draft at an 11:30 a.m. news conference in Allen Fieldhouse on Monday.

His final season as a Jayhawk was full of runner-up performances. Robinson finished second to Kentucky's Anthony Davis in both Wooden Award and Associated Press player of the year voting, and his team lost to Davis' in the national title game.

But Robinson also took some honors home during a memorable season. He was a consensus first-team All-American and led the Jayhawks to an eighth consecutive Big 12 title.

He is expected to be selected within the first five picks of June's NBA draft.

Read more about the Jayhawks at Rock Chalk Talk.

Kansas Coach Bill Self: 'There's Never Been A Team That Cared More'

The 2011-12 Kansas Jayhawks men’s basketball team will likely be a roster that head coach Bill Self will never forget. After preseason prognosticators believed the Jayhawks would finish second or even fourth in the Big 12 standings after losing the Morris twins among other pieces to the NBA and graduation, KU won yet another conference title — their eighth in a row — and proceeded to advance all the way to the national title game before losing to the Kentucky Wildcats. In short, it was an unexpected magical run for all involved.

"For me personally, there’s never been a team that cared more, tried more, liked each other more, allowed us to coach them more," said Self at the team’s return to Allen Fieldhouse after the Final Four. "That team (Kentucky) has six first-round draft picks, three lottery picks. We’re out there fighting our butt off. I love this team."

Kansas finished 32-7 on the season and head into next year with three returning starters.

For more on the Kansas Jayhawks' incredible season, check out Rock Chalk Talk.

NCAA Championship 2012: KU KO'd By UK In Battle of Basketball's Big Boys

Once again, the Southeastern Conference has gotten the best of the Big 12. No team likes to lose, just like it doesn't start out the season with a goal of finishing second. It's the goal of every team, every year to win and to win a championship - whether it's a division title, a conference crown or a national championship.

On Monday night in a stormy New Orleans, the Kansas Jayhawks, eight-time, regular-season defending champions of the Big 12 Conference, saw their improbable season and miraculous run to the school's fourth national basketball championship ended by a great Kentucky team that lived up to its pre-tournament seeding as the best team in college basketball this season.

Kentucky, the top-ranked team in the country the past three months, built up an 18-point first-half lead over the Jayhawks in the first half of the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship and then held on to survive one of Kansas' patented second-half comebacks for a 67-59 victory, which was closer at the end than the final score indicated.

To Kansas' credit, the Jayhawks never quit. They kept working hard and fighting through adversity and everything Kentucky threw at them. This is the character makeup of this Kansas team, and is a big reason why KU has been able to put together such a successful season despite having less individual talent than most of the other Kansas NCAA Tournament teams. It comes from the collective heart of the team and great personal pride, but it also is a huge reflection of head coach Bill Self and his coaching staff.

Even after finding themselves down by 14 points at the half Self said that he and the Jayhawk players came out of the locker room at halftime believing they were going to win. After all, they had trailed at the half in all but one of their six games in this year's NCAA Tournament. It's probably a good thing that someone didn't bring up the point that Kentucky had won the last 40 games in which the Big Blue of the Bluegrass State had led at halftime.

The Wildcats, who ended the season with an overall record of 38-2, completed dominated the Jayhawks in the first 20 minutes of play, shooting 53 percent from the field while holding Kansas to 33 percent shooting, and building a plus-11 advantage in rebounds at 24-13. As has happened throughout the tournament, Kansas came out a different team in the second half, gradually nicking away at the 14-point Kentucky lead at the break and getting within six points with a little over a minute left in the game.

The Wildcats stretched a 10-point advantage to 16 in a period of 42 second midway through the second half, but Kansas responded to Kentucky's response and cut the Kentucky margin back down to seven with a little under four minutes remaining. Self was very positive at this point. In fact, as Jim Nantz, who called the game on TV for CBS, observed: You could see a little wink in the coach's eye.

You have to imagine that Kentucky coach John Calipari was having some of the same thoughts. After all, when these two coaches met in the national championship game in 2008, Kansas trailed Memphis by nine points with just over two minutes to go before mounting a furious comeback to send the game into overtime, where Kansas pulled out the victory.

"I reminded (our team) of that," Self said, "but we just didn't have the mojo tonight."

No miracle finish this time. Kansas lost the game, and with it the school's hope for a fourth national championship. The Jayhawks' player of the year, Thomas Robinson, felt what all his teammates were feeling after the game and what will probably be his last game for the Jayhawks. "It hurt," the All-American player they call T-Rob said at this locker after the game. "I wanted to win so bad."

"I don't feel that we lost it as much as Kentucky won it," said Self. If you ask Calipari, he will tell you his team won it with defense. The country's best defensive team forced the Jayhawks into at least a dozen missed layups and two missed dunks, and you're not going to win many games when you blow that many point-blank opportunities.

The fact is, the better team won on Monday. What made the championship game so exciting for the No. 2-seeded Jayhawks and their fans was the recognition that the best team owns all the pressure and doesn't always win in big games like this. All that is required to take home the championship is to be the better team on that particular day. In this case, the best team was the better team in game No. 67 of the 2012 NCAA Tournament.

It will hurt for awhile, as it should, but there is absolutely no reason for the Kansas players, coaches or the team's devoted fans to hang their heads because of the loss or harbor a feeling of failure for finishing second. The Jayhawks lost to a very good Kentucky team. And like it or not, Kentucky is a better team than Kansas this season. Greg Anthony, a CBS college basketball analyst described this year's national champions as a "great team with great talent" and not just a collection of great players.

That's not to take anything away from the tremendous 32-win season that this Jayhawk team enjoyed. They frankly exceeded everyone's expectations except perhaps their own.

This was a good but not a great Kansas team. Despite this, they achieved greater success and generated more season-long thrills than some of the best Kansas teams of the past.

Perhaps Self summed up this overachieving Kansas team's season and its success the best: "From start to finish, there's been no team I've been around (that) improved this much," the Kansas coach said. "There's been no team I've been around compete this hard. There's been no team I've been around that was able to take whatever situation is dealt and respond to it favorably."

Well said, coach. And well done, Jayhawks! A good team that produced a great season.

For more news and information about Kansas Jayhawks' basketball and other KU sports, go to the official website of Kansas University athletics.

2012 NCAA Tournament Championship: Kansas Vs. Kentucky Was Not A Big Draw On Television

In what basketball aficionados would clearly consider a better national championship matchup than the Connecticut Huskies and Butler Bulldogs, the Kansas Jayhawks and Kentucky Wildcats didn't draw quite the television audience that came last year, according to John Ourand of the Sports Business Journal.

Since the game was never really compelling, with Kentucky jumping out to a double-digit lead early and maintaining control of the game even in the midst of a Kansas run. Ourand says that hurt the ratings, but what also could have done it was such a bland game from last season between UConn and Butler. Also, the forgone conclusion that Kentucky was by-far the best team in the nation and that playing Kansas was just a formality is also a possible sentiment among casual fans who had other Monday evening programs to watch.

Monday's game barely moved the needle.

NCAA overnight comes in at a 12.1, which is down 9% from last year. Game was never really close, which hurt. Did the 9:30 start also hurt?

— John Ourand (@Ourand_SBJ) April 3, 2012

Read more about the Jayhawks at Rock Chalk Talk.

2012 NCAA Tournament Championship: Kansas Jayhawks Had Not Seen Anything Like Kentucky Wildcats All Season

There was never any type of inferiority complex held by the Kansas Jayhawks in the way they viewed the top-ranked Kentucky Wildcats going into the NCAA tournament championship game on Monday.

However, some of the players did admit that Kentucky's versatility among its talent was something that was unprecedented even for the stellar teams. Still, the Jayhawks made about as tough an effort as one could against a team that was most certainly primed for a title run this season.

This is what Elijah Johnson had to say to the media following Monday's loss to Kentucky:

"No one could tell us that we were going to lose except for the scoreboard. We said, 'If they're going to beat us, they're going to remember us. They're going to feel the last of us.'"

"Let's be realistic. They have six players that can score 30 points on any given night. We're used to scouting reports where only one guy can score 30."

"They've got four players that can bring the ball up the court," Johnson said. "For someone to get the rebound and just put it on the floor and go, that puts you on your heels. We haven't seen that very much this year."

Read more about the Jayhawks at Rock Chalk Talk.

2012 NCAA Tournament Championship: Kansas Jayhawks Believe They Have Seen The Last Of Thomas Robinson

After the Kansas Jayhawks fell to the Kentucky Wildcats in the NCAA tournament championship game, and Kansas' best player Thomas Robinson finished with 18 points and 17 rebounds, the realization that he most likely will not be re-joining the team for his senior season really started to hit home.

Robinson is projected by NBA draft experts to be a lottery pick and for sure a first-round selection. It wouldn't make much sense for him to stay in school, the way it would for say Elijah Johnson and Jeff Withey.

Kansas head coach Bill Self does not expect to coach his 6-10 junior again.

"I'll let him make the announcement," Self said. I'd be shocked (if he comes back)."

Johnson, who plans to stay at Kansas for his senior season along with Withey, is just as sure that his roommate Robinson is taking his talents to the big leagues.

"I'd be stupid in my head to think Thomas would be back," Johnson said. "It's all over, man, it's over."

NBADraft.net projects Thomas Robinson to go as the third overall pick in the 2012 draft, just behind Wildcats Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.

Read more on the Jayhawks at Rock Chalk Talk.

Kentucky Vs. Kansas Final Score: Wildcats Down Jayhawks For National Title

All throughout this year's NCAA Tournament, the Kansas Jayhawks have made a poor habit of falling behind at halftime or even later and having to climb their way back. While such victories certainly build courage, character and a toughened sense of chemistry, it can also prove to be too much when facing a team finally able to put them away. That's exactly what happened at the Superdome in New Orleans last night when they lost in the national title game to the Kentucky Wildcats in a 67-59 loss.

The Wildcats were up on the Jayhawks 41-27 at halftime and even though KU pulled its typical second half dominance, it just wasn't enough to overcome the deficit. The KU bench scored zero points, and UK simply proved to hold too much offensive muscle. That said, Kansas' defense held Anthony Davis to just 1 of 10 shooting for 6 overall points. If you would have said that before the game, it would seem Kansas would be the winner.

However, Doron Lamb scored 22 for Kentucky and led the way on 7 of 12 shooting. Thomas Robinson paced KU with 18 points.

For more on this game, visit Kentucky blog A Sea Of Blue and Kansas blog Rock Chalk Talk. Head over to SB Nation NCAA Basketball. For all your 2012 March Madness needs, stay tuned to SB Nation's dedicated NCAA Tournament hub.

2012 NCAA Tournament Championship, Kansas Vs. Kentucky Final Score: Jayhawks Comeback Attempt Falls Short

The Kansas Jayhawks nearly erased a 14-point halftime deficit against the Kentucky Wildcats in the 2012 NCAA Championship game, but in the end they did not have enough as they fell 67-59. The win for Kentucky was their first NCAA championship since 1998 and the first championship for their head coach John Calipari.

Kansas made the game interesting when they cut the lead to five points after a 13-3 run and then down six points Tyshawn Taylor nearly cut the lead to three points, but he was called for a traveling so the three-point shot did not fall.

The Kentucky offense was just too much for Kansas with Doron Lamb leading the way with 22 points on the night. Kentucky did not even need Anthony Davis to have a big night scoring as he tallied only six points, but he did have16 rebounds, five assists, three steals and three blocks.

Kansas' offense just was not up to par tonight as they shot 35 percent from the field and had zero points from their bench. Thomas Robinson led the way for Kansas with 18 points on the night.

For more on this game, visit Kentucky blog A Sea Of Blue and Kansas blog Rock Chalk Talk. Head over to SB Nation NCAA Basketball. For all your 2012 March Madness needs, stay tuned to SB Nation's dedicated NCAA Tournament hub.

2012 NCAA Tournament Championship, Kansas Vs. Kentucky Halftime Score: Jayhawks Trail Wildcats By 14

The Kansas Jayhawks are once again facing a large deficit at the half as they trail 41-27 at the half against Kentucky Wildcats. The 14-point deficit is the largest amount that Kansas has trailed the entire lead, and other bad news for Kansas is that Kentucky has won their last 40 games when leading at the half.

The first half has featured many blocked shots on both sides with two by Kansas' Jeff Withey, and according to Kenny Smith that would be half way to a Kansas victory as he predicted that Kansas would win if Withey blocked four shots. However, Kansas needs more than that Withey's defense if they are to come back and win.

The real concern for Kansas is that their offense is having a tough time as they are shooing 33 percent from the field. Tyshawn Taylor has made 50 percent of his shots but he has only eight points and Kansas' other leading scorer is Thomas Robinson but he has shot just 3-of-11. Those two players are the key offensive weapons and they need to step up their game if they want to come back in this game.

Kentucky's offense is clicking even though Anthony Davis has been held scoreless at the half on 0-of-4 shooting. The players picking up the slack are Doron Lamb who has 12 points and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist has 11 points. Kansas will be in real trouble whenever Davis is able to score some points, because he will eventually break through in tonight's championship game.

For more on this game, visit Kentucky blog A Sea Of Blue and Kansas blog Rock Chalk Talk. Head over to SB Nation NCAA Basketball. For all your 2012 March Madness needs, stay tuned to SB Nation's dedicated NCAA Tournament hub.

ANIMATED: Jeff Withey's Defensive Presence Felt Early

Kentucky Vs. Kansas Predictions: Jayhawks Favored In National Championship By What If Sports Simulation

The Kentucky Wildcats have been the favored team throughout the entire 2011-12 college basketball season. They sat at No. 1 for much of the year. They came into the NCAA Tournament as the top overall seed, even among fellow No. 1 seeds. Heading into tonight, they are definitely the favored candidate to win the national championship over the Kansas Jayhawks. But try telling that to the team at What If Sports whose simulation places Kansas on top of Kentucky after literally thousands of sims.

Ryan Fowler writes, “Keeping with tradition, we re-simulated the title game 2,001 times. To our surprise, the Jayhawks won the first batch of games over 54 percent of the time. Due to the close margin of victory and simulation trend favoring Kentucky each round prior, we elected to run the title game 2,001 more times. This was not to give an edge to the Wildcats, but to verify that the sim-engine did, indeed, favor Kansas in a head-to-head matchup. It did.”

WhatIfSports.com is all about sports simulations, so they’ve been at this for a long time. Whether or not this means anything is up to individual discretion, but it shows that the game tonight might not be as decided as some would like to predict. Kansas has shown an ability to upend predictions thus far in the tournament. Tonight might turn out to be the greatest example of all.

For more on this game, visit Kentucky blog A Sea Of Blue and Kansas blog Rock Chalk Talk. Head over to SB Nation NCAA Basketball. For all your 2012 March Madness needs, stay tuned to SB Nation's dedicated NCAA Tournament hub.

Kansas Vs. Kentucky, NCAA Championship 2012: Jayhawks Must Start Strong To Contend

The Kansas Jayhawks have made their mark in this 2012 NCAA Tournament by clawing at the end of games to take over. They did it against Ohio State and in the games that brought them to this point in the Final Four. Now as they stand with one opponent left in the Kentucky Wildcats, the question is whether or not KU can again afford to fall behind.

"In each of Kansas University's last four NCAA tournament wins (Purdue, North Carolina State, U of North Carolina, and Ohio State), the Jayhawks have gotten off to horrible starts in the first half," writes Pat Murphy. "Poor shooting, turnovers, ineffective defense and overall lack of execution put the team in a hole early on. Each time, KU has finally found its rhythm in the second half. What will head coach Bill Self do to get his team engaged early?"

Kentucky is such a dominant presence with so much NBA-caliber talent that it might not be possible for the Jayhawks to climb back into contention if they fall so far back early on. Ohio State had a 9 point lead at halftime, but KU's stellar defense led to the familiar happening once again. This time, Self will likely look to have his team charged and ready from the outset instead of needing 20 minutes to find their rhythm.

Any other way and it might be the Wildcats hoisting a trophy when everything is said and done.

For more on this game, visit Kentucky blog A Sea Of Blue and Kansas blog Rock Chalk Talk. Head over to SB Nation NCAA Basketball. For all your 2012 March Madness needs, stay tuned to SB Nation's dedicated NCAA Tournament hub.

Kentucky Vs. Kansas: Game Tip-Off Time, TV Schedule, Announcers

In a matter of hours, someone will be crowned national champions. For both the Kentucky Wildcats and Kansas Jayhawks, it's about the chance to add yet another banner to two of the most celebrated college basketball programs of all-time. For the coaches involved, it's about finally earning that first trophy for John Calipari or hoisting another for Bill Self. Of course, for the stars involved like Thomas Robinson and Anthony Davis, it's about bragging rights and draft status at the next level. Being a hero here can make you millions over there. Just ask Carmelo Anthony.

Here's all the info you need to check out tonight's epic match-up.

NCAA Championship Game Info: Kentucky Vs. Kansas

Game time/date: 9:23 p.m. ET, Monday, April 2, 2012

Location: Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, La.

TV: CBS

Announcers: Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg, and Steve Kerr

For more on this game, visit Kentucky blog A Sea Of Blue and Kansas blog Rock Chalk Talk. Head over to SB Nation NCAA Basketball. For all your 2012 March Madness needs, stay tuned to SB Nation's dedicated NCAA Tournament hub.

Kansas Vs. Kentucky: Anthony Davis, Jeff Withey Showcase Two Greatest Shot Blockers In College

Tonight’s national championship game to crown the greatest in college basketball for the 2011-12 season is bound to feature some incredible shots and highlight-reel dunks. But one other thing you’re bound to see tonight is the awesome shot blocking skills of two of the best in the country. Anthony Davis of Kentucky and Jeff Withey of KU are actually called the best by Kansas head coach Bill Self.

“[Davis is] probably the best shot-blocker in the country. If he is, and I think we’ve got the second-best right here, two great shot-blockers [will be] going at each other,” Self said.

Calipari describes Davis as a great shot blocker because of his technique and the permission he gives the shooter to go ahead and try.

“He doesn’t block it in your hands; he lets you release it. That’s what great shot-blockers do,” Kentucky coach John Calipari said. “They never try to get it in your hand. … Even though he will block his own man’s shot, it’s the other guys he’s getting most of the time, which means he’s nimble, quick to the ball, he’s got a quick twitch.”

Withey had an impressive seven blocks against Ohio State in the national semi-final game on Saturday night. This will be fun to watch the post presence of both players to see who comes out on top.

For more on this game, visit Kentucky blog A Sea Of Blue and Kansas blog Rock Chalk Talk. Head over to SB Nation NCAA Basketball. For all your 2012 March Madness needs, stay tuned to SB Nation's dedicated NCAA Tournament hub.

Kansas' Bill Self Calls Coach Of The Year Award A 'Terrific Honor'

The Kansas Jayhawks not only had an incredible season to remember, but the postseason is shaping up quite excellently as well. The Jayhawks won their eighth straight Big 12 conference title in 2011-12, and now they’re down to the final two competing for the title of National Champs. That performance taken together has earned Bill Self the Naismith Coach of the Year trophy.

"This is a terrific honor. When you think of postseason awards, anything that has (James) Nasmith’s name in front of it is a huge award and certainly I’m very proud of this," Self said. "It is a reflection of how our team performed all year long. There are so many good coaches out there to choose from, but I am honored they picked me."

Kansas has their biggest obstacle yet in front of them when they face Kentucky tonight in New Orleans. The team is loaded with NBA ready talent led by Anthony Davis. Then again, Self has been playing favored teams at several points this year and come out ahead. Tonight is just another chance for the Jayhawks to shine when they’re not expected to.

For more on this game, visit Kentucky blog A Sea Of Blue and Kansas blog Rock Chalk Talk. Head over to SB Nation NCAA Basketball. For all your 2012 March Madness needs, stay tuned to SB Nation's dedicated NCAA Tournament hub.

Kentucky Vs. Kansas: It Gets No Better Than Battle Of Big Blues In Big Easy For Basketball's Big Prize

It's a huge week on the sports calendar: the opening of the Major League Baseball season, final countdown to the seemingly unending NHL playoffs and the week of professional golf's biggest tradition, the Masters. But that's all later in the week. It all starts off with the final game in the NCAA Final Four in both men's and women's basketball.

And we couldn't have a more magical matchup on the men's side with college basketball's two most dominant hardwood programs of all time, Kentucky and Kansas, going against one another in a storybook championship final for the ages. There are as many compelling story lines in this clash of college basketball titans as the combined championships and Final Four appearances between these storied national programs.

Between them, the state universities of Kentucky and Kansas have 10 national championships (seven for Kentucky and three for Kansas) and 29 Final Four appearances (with the Wildcats of the Commonwealth of Kentucky one up on the team from the Sunflower State, 15-14). That should be enough right there to make this one of the games of the year this season in college basketball. But these two schools have much more in common that you might think.

To begin with, let's go right to the obvious:: the two schools represent states that begin with the 11th letter in the alphabet, the letter "K," which their plentiful and fiercely loyal fans largely refer to by the two-letter monikers KU (for Kansas) and in its transposed form, UK (for Kentucky). Kentucky is the winningest college basketball program of all-time with 2,089 victories. The Jayhawks are No. 2 on that list with a grand total of 2,070 wins, 32 of those coming this season.

Here are some more striking likenesses between these two national powers of the college basketball world: Both schools sport blue as their dominant school color (Kentucky's colors are blue trimmed in white; the Kansas colors are blue and crimson). Number of NCAA Tournament No. 1 seeds: Kentucky 11, Kansas 10 (they were tied before this season). Conference championships: Kansas 55, Kentucky 51; consensus All-Americans: Kansas 27, Kentucky 24; NCAA Tournament appearances: Kentucky 52, Kansas 41; NCAA Tournament victories: Kentucky 110 (first all-time), Kansas 93 (fifth best all-time).

Kentucky comes into Monday night's national championship game as the overall No. 1 seed in the tournament, having gotten to the final game with tournament victories over Western Kentucky, Iowa State out of the Big 12, Indiana in the Sweet 16, another Big 12 school, Baylor (for the South Regional championship), and Louisville in the national semifinals on Saturday. The Wildcats average margin of victory in their five wins was just under 13 points and an advantage in every major team statistical category except steals.

Kansas' road to the Final Four included successive wins over Detroit, Purdue, North Carolina State and then No. 1 seed North Carolina (for the Midwest Regional championship) and Ohio State, which like Kansas was a No. 2 seed in the tournament. Unlike Kentucky, however, the Jayhawks have had to come from behind in all five of their tournament wins. That will not be a good formula to follow in Monday's championship final, and KU coach Bill Self knows it.

Self described Saturday's thrilling come-from-behind win over Ohio State as a classic "tale of two halves. They dominated us the first half," he said, "(then) the light came on and we were much more aggressive in the second half.

About Monday night's opponent for college basketball's big prize, Self said: "Kentucky had to play for 40 minutes (Saturday), too. The thing about it is, they're terrific. Our second half performance (Saturday), if we could play both halves, it's still good enough to get beat. We got to play a lot better than that playing a terrific team," he said.

Like their Saturday night foe, the Buckeyes of Ohio State, the Jayhawks and Wildcats have already met once earlier this season. Unlike against Ohio State, however, Kansas suffered its first loss of the season against Kentucky, a 10-point defeat at New York's Madison Square Garden in November. You can argue that this Kansas team is much better at this stage of the season than it was back in November. The problem is, you can make the same argument for Kentucky. Although playing with three freshman in its starting five, the Wildcats held the No. 1 spot in the national rankings for 10 weeks in the 2011-12 season.

Monday's championship game will also feature the two players considered to be the best in college basketball this season in Kentucky 6-10 freshman Anthony Davis and Kansas 6-10 junior forward Thomas Robinson.

The all-time series between the Big Blue of Kansas and the Big Blue of Kentucky favors the Wildcats by a wide 20-6 margin. The two teams have only met twice before in the NCAA Tournament, with each team winning a game (Kentucky in overtime in 1999 and Kansas in 2007). This is the first time the Wildcats and Jayhawks have played for the national championship.

If you are yearning for some more intriguing facts that link these two legendary basketball programs, consider these: Both head coaches (Bill Self and John Calipari of Kentucky) coached at Kansas under former Jayhawk head coach Larry Brown. Calipari was an assistant at Kansas from 1982-85, succeeded by Self for the 1985-86 season. The two coaches were on the opposing sidelines in the 2007 national championship, won by Kansas in overtime over Memphis.

While Kansas' first coach, James Naismith, the only basketball coach with a losing record in the school's long history, invented the game, Kentucky is considered the place where the college sport was popularized. The legendary coach Adolph Rupp is the name most closely associated with Kentucky basketball in the school's storied history. Before moving to Kentucky in the mid-1920s, Rupp, who was born in Halstead, Kan., played basketball at the University of Kansas, from 1919-23, under legendary KU coach Phog Allen. Allen Fieldhouse at Kansas and Rupp Arena at Kentucky were named after these two great college basketball coaches.

These two great basketball programs are virtually joined at the hip, making for a monumental matchup in the 2011-12 NCAA Tournament Men's Basketball Championship. Will Kentucky finish off its storybook season and claim the school's eighth national championship, the most of any college basketball program? Or will this be another season like 1988, when Danny (Manning) and the Miracles went toe to toe with heavily favored and Big Eight conference rival Oklahoma and pulled off the improbable upset?

In my view, the game will go one of two ways, and neither one favors Kansas, my alma mater. The way I see it, there is no way the Jayhawks are going to win this game big over the other Big Blue team. Kentucky, on the other hand, is very capable of running off and hiding from Kansas. If this scenario occurs, believe me, this young Wildcat basketball team is good enough defensively that the Jayhawks are not going to be able to fall behind by double digits and come back at the end to win. Kansas is highly capable, though, of keeping Kentucky within its sights and the game close enough to keep it interesting and in doubt until the bitter end.

There is no quit in this Kansas team. They've proved that throughout this improbable season, and Kentucky will find that out Monday night. In the end, though, the team from the Bluegrass State will prevail over the overachieving group from the Sunflower State in a contest that will be much closer than many predict: Kentucky 75, Kansas 68.

For more information:

For news and information about all Kansas Jayhawks' sports

Additional Big 12 Conference basketball news and statistics

Kentucky Vs. Kansas: John Calipari Learned Lessons From Last Title Match Against Bill Self

Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari isn't too worried about a repeat of what happened the last time one of his teams faced the Kansas Jayhawks in a national championship game. Missed free throws proved to be the Memphis Tigers' downfall in 2008, when Mario Chalmers hit a 3 for Kansas that propelled them to a national championship.

Calipari has a bit of a history with the Jayhawks program, and with a decent free throw shooting this go around, he is looking to add to the positive memories rather the negative ones.

"Make free throws, that's what I learned," Calipari told the media on Sunday. "We're a terrific free-throw shooting team," he said. "I think we were No. 1 in our league in free-throw shooting. I have no issues with that whatsoever."

Calipari was asked if changed the way he coached free throw shooting since the 2008 collapse and his response was quite candid:

"Yeah. I've recruited better free-throw shooters."

It is important to note that prior to the championship game, Calipari's Tigers were shooting almost 81 percent from the free throw line in its previous three games. Still, it looks like the coach learned a valuable lesson.

Read more about the Jayhawks at Rock Chalk Talk.

VIDEO: Bomani Jones Predicts Kentucky, Anthony Davis Will Defeat Kansas

SB Nation's Bomani Jones is flowing with the mainstream crowd on his latest prediction for the winner of the 2012 NCAA Tournament final game by going with Anthony Davis and the Kentucky Wildcats. He has good reason, since Kentucky has been the favored team since the preseason and throughout this entire year. Davis and the rest of John Calipari's team is simply that good.

But Kansas has fought its way back in every game, and they have their own All-American in Thomas Robinson. This is a clash of two of the greatest coaches, two of the greatest players and two of the greatest programs in college basketball history. In short, this should be a close game the entire way. Watch Bomani's vid below to hear his reasons:

For more on this game, visit Kentucky blog A Sea Of Blue and Kansas blog Rock Chalk Talk. Head over to SB Nation NCAA Basketball. For all your 2012 March Madness needs, stay tuned to SB Nation's dedicated NCAA Tournament hub.

Kansas Vs. Kentucky: Elijah Johnson Says 'No One Wants To Be Second'

As Kansas and Kentucky gear up for the national title game for all of the bragging rights of the 2011-12 college basketball season, perhaps Jayhawks’ guard sums it up best: “no one wants to be second.” When speaking yesterday in the media sessions for players, Johnson described the feeling for both teams right now on the eve of the biggest game of their lives.

"These are the two best teams in the country," said Johnson. "Obviously, I feel like no one wants to be second. I don’t think Coach (John) Calipari wants to be the second best coach in the country, and I don’t think we do. With that being said, everybody is playing with house money. If you are go out there feeling like you’ve got to save something, you are going to come up short."

Johnson is averaging 9.6 points per game this year for the Jayhawks, but has come up big in the last several games scoring 15, 18, 11, 10 and 13 throughout the tourney so far.

For more on this game, visit Kentucky blog A Sea Of Blue and Kansas blog Rock Chalk Talk. Head over to SB Nation NCAA Basketball. For all your 2012 March Madness needs, stay tuned to SB Nation's dedicated NCAA Tournament hub.

Kansas Vs. Kentucky, NCAA Championship 2012: Thomas Robinson Says 'I Want Payback'

As the star players of the Kansas Jayhawks think back to their first meeting with Kentucky this season, it’s clear that they both have ill feelings about the loss to the Wildcats early in the season. Thus it’s not surprising to hear Tyshawn Taylor and Thomas Robinson speak about how much they want to right what went wrong the last time these teams met in tonight’s national championship game.

"It’s extra motivation. I want payback," junior forward Robinson said. "I don’t want anyone to think they have the upper hand on me, and I’ve thought that all season about Kentucky, but I get to see them again."

"When you play a team that beat you, you want another chance. We get another chance. It’s not like a revenge game, but it’s one of those things like, ‘We’re back … do it again,’’’ senior point guard Taylor said. "Basically, we want to make them come out and beat us. They’re going to have to play their best game of the year."

Tonight they will get their chance on the biggest possible stage in the Superdome at New Orleans. It’s the two winningest programs in college basketball history facing off for yet another banner to lift up into the rafters. For the Jayhawks, the revenge factor would be the icing on the cake.

For more on this game, visit Kentucky blog A Sea Of Blue and Kansas blog Rock Chalk Talk. Head over to SB Nation NCAA Basketball. For all your 2012 March Madness needs, stay tuned to SB Nation's dedicated NCAA Tournament hub.

Kentucky Vs. Kansas: John Calipari Might Play Zone For Thomas Robinson

The final day is here. Kansas versus Kentucky will be played tonight in New Orleans for the national title, and so many are making this about the All-Americans involved: Thomas Robinson and Anthony David. Kentucky coach John Calipari says his team knows all about Robinson and is prepared to shift their play for him.

"We know how good Thomas Robinson is. We all know. We went against him in New York. He is as good as they get," Calipari said. "He’s a vicious competitor, great around the rim, expanded his game. He can make the top of the key 3. Loves driving that thing hard left and getting to the rim. He has become a better handler and passer, rebounds. So we know how good he is.I don’t really know who is going to guard him. We may play a 2-3 zone. Those guys are so big, we may fall into a zone. I haven’t played that very often, but we may do it."

It would be an odd move, but at the very least, While the All-American is definitely something opposing teams have to plan for, announcing such a big move to reporters is likely just playing the media and giving us all something to talk about. Robinson does present a match-up issue, especially with Jeff Withey also available inside. Maybe Calipari is in all of our heads now. We will find out soon enough.

For more on this game, visit Kentucky blog A Sea Of Blue and Kansas blog Rock Chalk Talk. Head over to SB Nation NCAA Basketball. For all your 2012 March Madness needs, stay tuned to SB Nation's dedicated NCAA Tournament hub.

Kentucky Vs. Kansas: Game Time, TV Schedule

Kentucky and Kansas meet on Monday night in New Orleans with a chance to take home college basketball's biggest prize.