No. 1 seed Kentucky (36-2) vs. No. 4 Louisville (30-9)
6:09 p.m. ET
Against the tourney field: Kentucky 15-2, Louisville 15-8
Tourney trail: Kentucky – Western Kentucky 81-65, Iowa State 87-71, Indiana 102-90, Baylor 82-70; Louisville – Davidson 69-62, New Mexico 59-56, Michigan State 57-44, Florida 72-68
When they met before: Kentucky prevailed, 69-62, in Lexington on Dec. 31. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (24 and 19) and Anthony Davis (18 and 10) combined for 42 points and 19 rebounds for the Wildcats, with Davis blocking six shots. Sophomore Russ Smith came off the bench to score a game-high 30 points for the Cardinals. His teammates were a combined 10 of 42 from the field.
Why Louisville could win: 1) If not the best, per se, defensive team in this field then the Cardinals are certainly the most versatile (they are effective in both zone and man-to-man, and can effectively pressure full court); 2) three Louisville starters, guard Peyton Siva, forward Chane Behanan and center Gorgui Dieng, have improved immensely since the teams’ first contest; 3) Rick Pitino is as good a coach as the sport has had since Dean Smith and Bob Knight have left the fraternity. If not the best equipped (physically) team to knock off the Wildcats, the Cardinals – with Pitino and his staff having the better part of a week to hone in on Kentucky – will be as well prepared (schematically) a squad as John Calipari’s crew has faced.
Why Kentucky will win: 1) The Wildcats’ seven-player rotation is the most gifted in a Final Four since North Carolina won the title in 1975; 2) Anthony Davis is the most physically dominant player in college hoops but Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is the best player – period; 3) Marquis Teague is a much-improved point guard since Dec. 31, when he was one of eight from the field with four turnovers against the Cardinals.
Frank’s call: Kentucky 74-68
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