Final Four 2012, Kentucky Vs. Louisville: Wildcats Move On To Championship With 69-61 Win

When Kansas completed a stunning comeback down nine with two minutes left against Memphis in the 2008 national title game, it dealt John Calipari his greatest defeat yet, as another of his extremely talented teams fell short in March.

However, four years later, it’s hard to call Bill Self’s 2008 team the underdog.

Calipari was asked what it means for a team starting three freshmen to advance to the national championship game, despite the criticism directed at building a program around likely one-and-done players.

“Let me start by telling you it’s not their rule and it’s not my rule that they can leave after one year, OK?” he said. “There’s got to be things done so that that can be worked on. I’ve said it from day one. I don’t like the rule, but it’s a rule.

It’s still not so much a riot, but more an uprising in celebration in Lexington on Saturday evening. The Kentucky Wildcats’ win over Louisville in the Final Four sparked somewhat of a street party, but there has been some damage as a result. The “riot,” or whatever it is, has been taking place on State Street, where crowds have gathered following the win.

There are a few cars flipped over and at least one with its windows bashed out, as well.

It didn’t matter. The Wildcats were too good, they made too many free throws and didn’t let the Cardinals make the really important shots, and John Calipari got perhaps the most important win of his NCAA coaching career, beating Rick Pitino despite one of Pitino’s better coaching jobs in his career.

Kentucky will play the winner of Ohio State and Kansas in Monday night’s championship game.

For up-to-the-minute scores on all NCAA Tournament games, please check out SI.com’s complete scoreboard.

For more on the 2012 NCAA Tournament bracket, stay with SB Nation’s Selection Sunday StoryStream, and stick around SB Nation’s NCAA Tournament hub for a complete printable NCAA Tournament bracket. For more on this game, check out our 2012 Final Four StoryStream.

It’s important to note that the GIF of Rick Pitino doing a fist pump was not sped up in any way. This is normal speed, and pretty perfect as a result. Pitino gave a little body English, strained his face, then gave one quick fist pump when he got the result he desired.

It was just excellent coaching.

After the Louisville Cardinals blew a couple dunks close to the rim, Wayne Blackshear upped the degree of difficulty and finally finished one. His double-pump dunk in the first half was a thing of beauty, and temporarily stopped the bleeding. Perhaps this is his thing.

Why? Because Blackshear again flushed a ridiculous dunk in the second half, continuing a nice spurt by the Cardinals. Out of nowhere, Blackshear entered the frame to clean up the mess, soaring high for a jam on the rebound.

Louisville is shooting just 35 percent from the floor, while Kentucky is shooting 57 percent. The Cardinals are also just 4-7 from the free throw line, while the Wildcats are 7-11. Rebounding is the only reason that this game is remotely interesting. Louisville have 15 offensive rebounds to Kentucky’s two and lead the overall rebounding battle 29-19. The Wildcats also have 11 turnovers.

For up-to-the-minute scores on all NCAA Tournament games, please check out SI.com’s complete scoreboard.

His timing is perfect. He leaves his feet before the Cardinal he denies, and he manages to hang in the air long enough to deny the shot. This is why he’s predicted to be the No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA draft.

For up-to-the-minute scores on all NCAA Tournament games, please check out SI.com’s complete scoreboard.

For up-to-the-minute scores on all NCAA Tournament games, please check out SI.com’s complete scoreboard.

For more on the 2012 NCAA Tournament bracket, stay with SB Nation’s Selection Sunday StoryStream, and stick around SB Nation’s NCAA Tournament hub for a complete printable NCAA Tournament bracket. For more on this game, check out our 2012 Final Four StoryStream.

That’s how you protect the rim. Observe how he doesn’t care if it’s his own player he leaps over/onto to block that shot. Gorgui Dieng don’t care.

For up-to-the-minute scores on all NCAA Tournament games, please check out SI.com’s complete scoreboard.

Anthony Davis’ alley-oop flush in the first half was good enough. It was already an impressive enough feat. Davis had to reach back and adjust to the lob but, thanks to his long wingspan, he handled it with no problem. And, of course, he finished the lob with a thunderous dunk.

But it gets better. Way better, in fact. Look at Davis’ face as he’s dunking.

Dieng struggled throughout the first half, missing dunks and close shots. However, this dunk, which came off a superb behind-the-back feed on a break, may get him back on track. If nothing else, it got the fans out of their seats.

Dieng has been the Cardinals’ answer for Kentucky’s size and, if he can contribute more offensively, he will be a key factor in the second half. After struggling early, perhaps this dunk off the fastbreak, with a superb assist to set it up, will get him started.

John Calipari’s sideline antics are just the best. The way the Kentucky coach handles himself during a big game, the faces he makes, the animated motions that come out in heated moments are just so darn giffable. The sideshow -- Calipari being Calipari -- is almost as fun as the main event.

Like Calipari jumping around like a crazy man on the sideline. It was a moment that screamed, “GIF me!”

This is not the first time, nor will it be the last, that this will be said about Anthony Davis: the freshman big man, who was just named the AP Player of the Year, has ridiculous hands and arms that go forever. That combination leads to impossible-seeming alley-oops, like one that just happened against Louisville in the first game of the NCAA Final Four.

To be able to reach that far behind you, catch it cleanly, and finish with a dunk before landing... that’s a special talent. That’s why Davis is considered the no-doubt No. 1 overall pick in June’s NBA draft, it’s part of why he’s the best player in the country, and it’s a big reason why the Kentucky Wildcats are the favorites for the national championship.

While his teammate, Anthony Davis, flew into media row, Terrence Jones went with a more safe route as he flew out of bounds. Jones went tumbling off the court under the hoop after a minor collision, but instead of dropping about six feet, he had people to break his fall. The poor cheerleaders were right in his path.

It appears he ran over at least one cheerleader and smacked someone sitting in the back row head-on. He’s still got some work to do to pick up the spare.

Anthony Davis has five rebounds and two blocks to go along with his four points, and he’s altering shots even when he’s not blocking them. He’s a big part of why Louisville have managed only 26 percent from the floor thus far.

For up-to-the-minute scores on all NCAA Tournament games, please check out SI.com’s complete scoreboard.

Blackshear is just one of many talented dunkers in this game, and this surely won’t be the best dunk to come from this. Still, this is pretty great. Nothing wrong with athleticism.

For up-to-the-minute scores on all NCAA Tournament games, please check out SI.com’s complete scoreboard.

For up-to-the-minute scores on all NCAA Tournament games, please check out SI.com’s complete scoreboard.

For more on the 2012 NCAA Tournament bracket, stay with SB Nation’s Selection Sunday StoryStream, and stick around SB Nation’s NCAA Tournament hub for a complete printable NCAA Tournament bracket. For more on this game, check out our 2012 Final Four StoryStream.

You know Anthony Davis, star basketball player from Kentucky. You know his credentials by now: AP Player of the Year, big shot-blocker, likely No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft. That’s all well and good, and we’ve seen Davis perform on the court many times.

But have you seen his moves off the court?

In the latest SB Nation media interview from press row in New Orleans, Amy K. Nelson caught up with Temple coach Fran Dunphy to get his predictions on the Final Four this weekend.

Dunphy hemmed and hawed for a minute, but like seemingly everyone else in the country, he’s got Kentucky defeating Ohio State on Monday:

After a week without games, the Final Four matchups have been sliced and diced in almost every way. In the first game between rivals Louisville and Kentucky, the Cardinals’ stout defense hopes to disrupt a more talented Kentucky team with AP player of the year Anthony Davis. Sports Illustrated’s Luke Winn has an excellent graphic analysis of each Final Four team, and he highlights the offensive versatility of Davis:

Kentucky coach John Calipari insists that Davis will be a three at the next level, and much of Winn’s analysis bolsters that notion and reiterates his outside skills on the offensive end of the floor.