SB Nation Cleveland - NCAA Tournament 2012: Kentucky Wins Their Eighth Title, Beating Kansas In National Championship

2012 Final Four: Like Kentucky, Ohio State Awaits NBA Decisions

2012-04-03T15:30:02Z

The Kentucky Wildcats may have been peerless this season. Even so, the Ohio State Buckeyes have at least one thing in common: waiting on NBA decisions.

Kentucky claimed its eighth national title Monday, downing the Kansas Jayhawks 67-59. The question now is whether UK's ballyhooed underclassmen will return to school -- a feeling Ohio State knows well.

UK stars Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Doron Lamb, Marquis Teague and Terrence Jones all figure to be surefire picks if they leave college early for the NBA Draft. Indeed, Davis and Kidd-Gilchrist would almost certainly go in the top three.

Senior Darius Miller is projected to go in the second round.

It's a different order of magnitude, but Jared Sullinger and Deshaun Thomas, the team's top two scorers, might be headed to the NBA as well.

Sullinger is projected as a lottery pick, and according to the Associated Press, Thomas's stock is high as well:

Thomas was a breakout star in the NCAA tournament, leading the Buckeyes in scoring. A multidimensional 6-foot-7 forward, he might consider leaving if he's projected to be selected in the first round.

Sullinger was projected as a lottery pick last year before deciding to return for his sophomore season. His draft stock might have dipped a little, but he'd still likely be a high first-round pick if he comes out.

"I honestly don't know yet," said Sullinger, who pulled up his jersey to cover his face after the loss to Kansas.

Players have until April 29 to declare. However, if they declare but want to withdraw their names prior to the draft, they must do so before April 11.

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Kentucky Vs. Kansas Final Score: Wildcats Win Eighth Title By Beating Jayhawks 67-59

2012-04-03T04:35:40Z

The Kentucky Wildcats won the national championship on Monday night, beating the Kansas Jayhawks 67-59. It was their program's eighth time cutting down the nets and Coach Calipari's first title.

The Wildcats took a commanding 14-point lead into the second half and didn't really start to sweat until Kansas finally cut it to single digits with a little over four minutes remaining. Kansas had a chance to get it to four at one point, but Thomas Robinson's acrobatic and-one attempt didn't drop. Instead, he hit his two free throws and had the deficit at five, and it wouldn't get any closer than that.

Kansas' final hopes were dashed when Elijah Johnson was called for a traveling violation on a pump fake, step-back three-pointer that he actually sank and would've trimmed it to a three-point game.

Anthony Davis was named the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player. He was 1-for-10 in the game, but he recorded team highs in rebounds (16), assists (5) and blocks (6).

For more on the Kentucky Wildcats check out A Sea Of Blue. For more on the Kansas Jayhawks check out Rock Chalk Talk, and for more on the NCAA Tournament you can head over to SB Nation's NCAA Tournament Hub.

Kentucky Vs. Kansas Score Update: Wildcats Up 14 At Half Of National Championship Game

2012-04-03T02:33:46Z

For the right to trim down the nets in New Orleans, the Kentucky Wildcats hold a 14-point lead at the half on the Kansas Jayhawks, 41-27.

Kansas shot just 33-percent in the first half while the Wildcats' run-and-gun offense was successful on 53-percent of their attempts. Thomas Robinson, who is getting blanketed by a mix of Terrence Jones and Anthony Davis, is shooting only 3-for-11.

Anthony Davis is 0-for-4, but he has game-highs in rebounds (9), assists (4) and blocks (3).

The game was tied at 7-7, but Kentucky went on to outscore the Jayhawks 34-20 the rest of the half, which included a 14-4 run over seven minutes starting at the 10 minute mark.

Printable NCAA Bracket 2012: One Slot Still Open For Kentucky And Kansas

2012-04-01T14:06:11Z

The Ohio State Buckeyes came up painfully short in the NCAA Tournament semifinals on Saturday night, losing a late lead and the game to the Kansas Jayhawks. The loss ended the Buckeyes march through the NCAA Tournament bracket, as Kansas and Kentucky advanced leaving one more open slot to fill in on tournament brackets around the country.

With 62 slots filled in, that one blank in the middle will soon be inked in as either Kentucky or Kansas cuts down the nets on Monday night in New Orleans. You can take a look back at how the Wildcats and Jayhawks made their way to the championship game, as well as how where other teams fell short in the tournament with SB Nation's printable 2012 NCAA Tournament bracket.

As tough as it will be to watch for Ohio State fans, the championship matchup should be plenty entertaining. Back in November, Kentucky beat Kansas on a neutral court in New York which should have little bearing on the championship matchup. Regardless of the familiarity from the earlier matchup, Kentucky will remain the favorite heading into Monday thanks to their strong play throughout the tournament and the variety of ways they can beat an opponent.

For more NCAA tournament coverage, head to SB Nation's 2012 tourney hub page. Stay with SB Nation for an updated 2012 printable bracket. More on the Louisville Cardinals can be found at Card Chronicle, check out A Sea Of Blue for more on the Kentucky Wildcats.

Final Four Bracket 2012, Ohio State Vs. Kansas: Jayhawks Edge Buckeyes 64-62 In Thriller

2012-04-01T03:33:27Z

The dream of a national championship went down the drain for Jared Sullinger and the Ohio St. Buckeyes on Saturday night, as the Kansas Jayhawks hung on to advance to Monday's finale against Kentucky.

Sullinger, who shot a frustrating 5-for-19 in the loss, was stifled by Kansas center Jeff Withey's length on the inside, and was unable to get his offense going in the second half. Freshman teammate Deshaun Thomas was hardly any better for head coach Thad Matta, as he finished just 3-for-14 from the field and 1-for-8 from behind the arc.

Kansas, who trailed by nine at half, took its biggest lead of the game (three points) with just 1:04 on the clock. The Jayhawks' win represented the largest first half deficit to come back and win from in a Final Four game since Duke over Maryland in 2001.

The No. 2 seeded Jayhawks will take on Kentucky in Monday's NCAA championship game, while the Buckeyes are expected to suffer heavy attrition with a bevy of players headed to the NBA.

For more on the Ohio State Buckeyes, check out Along The Olentangy, or follow SB Nation Cleveland's Ohio State StoryStream. For more on the Kansas Jayhawks check out Rock Chalk Talk, and for more on the NCAA Tournament you can head over to SB Nation's NCAA Tournament Hub.

Ohio State Vs. Kansas, Final Four 2012 Halftime Score: Sharp Buckeyes Lead Jayhawks 34-25

2012-04-01T02:08:33Z

With a date in Monday's finale against Kentucky on the line, the Ohio State Buckeyes lead the Jayhawks 34-25 after 20 minutes of action in Saturday night's Final Four battle.

Thad Matta's team is shooting an impressive 50% (5 of 10) from three-point range, and leading scorer William Buford (8 points) has added a pair of triples in addition to his team-high (tie) four rebounds.

The Jayhawks have managed to grab seven offensive rebounds in the game, but are shooting just 36.7% as a team. All-American forwards Jared Sullinger (7 points, 4 rebounds) and Thomas Robinson (8 points, 3 rebounds) have each made their respective presences known during the game, and will be expected to go toe-to-toe in the low post in the second half.

Final Four 2012 Video: SB Nation's YouTube Channel Breaks Down Ohio State-Kansas, Kentucky-Louisville

2012-03-31T19:25:46Z

SB Nation's Dan Rubenstein and Nick Fasulo break down the 2012 Final Four for SB Nation's YouTube channel:

In the Ohio State-Kansas game, Fasulo thinks the Tyshawn Taylor match up with Aaron Craft is going to be key and could wind up being a defining moment in Taylor's career. Fasulo thinks Kevin Young could again be an unsung hero for Kansas, like he was back in December when the Jayhawks knocked off Ohio State behind Young's 14 points and strong defensive effort.

Fasulo also doesn't believe either team will be affected by the big stage of the Superdome and the potential depth perception problems that might come with .

2012 Final Four, Ohio State Vs. Kansas: Officials For Saturday's Game

2012-03-31T16:44:52Z

The 2012 NCAA Final Four tips off tonight, first with Kentucky-Louisville followed shortly thereafter with the Ohio State-Kansas game. If you're looking for the full schedule of tonight's Ohio State game, you can find that at the preceding link.

The referees should never be the story, but they have affected a few games in major ways this tournament. Hopefully, tonight's refs will not make household names out of themselves, but Gregg Doyel of CBSSports tweeted who will be working the game:

Officials for Kansas-Ohio State: Jamie Luckie, Tom Eades and Patrick Adams.
— Gregg Doyel (@greggdoyelcbs) March 31, 2012

These three will likely let the two teams play, but Jamie Luckie is known to not let things get too out of hand and isn't afraid to pull the trigger on whistling technicals.

For more on the Ohio State Buckeyes, check out Along The Olentangy, or follow SB Nation Cleveland's Ohio State StoryStream. For more on the Kansas Jayhawks check outRock Chalk Talk, and for more on the NCAA Tournament you can head over to SB Nation's NCAA Tournament Hub.