Davis Gives The Favorite Favor

Can UK & Star Anthony Davis Rise To The Occasion?

 None of the roads to New Orleans will be “easy” this year but at this juncture in the tourney it seems as if the University of Kentucky may have an inside track on the rest of the competition. With an impressive 32-2 record; with losses only coming by the hands of Indiana (73-72) on the road and Vandy (71-64) in the SEC tournament, John Calipari has manufactured another stellar season spearheaded by the obvious future number 1 pick, freshmen Anthony Davis, assuming he decides to throw his name in the hat. (and he will enter the draft, TRUST ME!)

   Davis, along with Super-Soph Terrence Jones, fellow freshmen and possible lottery pick Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, 2nd year player Doron Lamb and freshmen point Marquis Teague make up a starting five that garners worldwide media coverage. With the tenacious Senior influence, Darius Miller coming off the bench and providing the glue to this project the Wildcats seem to be on their way to a 38-2 clip as well as bringing home Calipari’s long-awaited first National Championship…….but as well all know, things rarely go as planned in the NCAA Tourney. 

   I personally have selected Kentucky to win it all this year with confidence. I just don’t see them making enough mistakes or missing enough shots when it counts. They can literally score from EVERY position and with Jones able to extend the floor with his long range shooting from the 4-spot (.333) it causes numerous mismatches on the court. Kidd-Gilchrist at 6’7 is a bully in the paint and may just have the best NBA-ready body on this team at 232lbs. Paper stats don’t do this team justice and if you haven’t watched a Kentucky game yet you can’t truly understand the impact Davis has on defense. He leads Men’s Division 1 programs in block shots avg 4.6 per game and has accumulated 154 total which is more than all but 37 D-1 schools in the country have tallied as a team, and comes only second in blocks overall to 6’8 Junior Center, Brittney Griner from the Women’s Baylor squad who’s averaging an insane 5.1 blocks per game. Davis has surpassed all Kentucky players in blocks in one season and has already been labeled as SEC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. 

Rejection Isn't Always a Bad Thing

   With a force like that in the paint Kentucky is able to sell-out on defense and take gambles that other teams don’t have the luxury of doing. In a league where you cannot duplicate or simulate the play of Davis prior to seeing it I just don’t fathom any institution putting together a 40 minute game plan that will knock Kentucky off it’s mission. In the ensuing weekends we will see whether I’m right or if the basketball gods truly hate Calipari but for now we all will wait and see. It’s no longer an issue whether they CAN win, it’s more so the question, will they squander their opportunity to achieve their destiny? 

I’m betting on Blue