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NEW ORLEANS – And then there were two . . .

Four and a half months after the fact, that Nov. 15 game played between the Kentucky and Kansas basketball teams in Madison Square Garden is now going to be a prime topic of conversation.

The Wildcats prevailed (75-65) in that one – something called the State Farm Champions Classic.

There will be a tad more at stake when the squads hook up for Round 2 Monday night.

And their national championship confrontation in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome has all of the makings of an honest-to-goodness Classic.

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  NEW ORLEANS

   Game Two

Kansas 64, Ohio State 62

   Why Kansas won: Despite trailing by 13 points late in the first half, the Jayhawks moved to Monday night’s title game because of their staple – half-court defense. They held the Buckeyes to eight of 33 (.242) shooting from the field in the second half.

The Turning Point: After going up 59-56 with 2:22 following an Aaron Craft steal and layup, the Buckeyes didn’t score again until William Buford’s follow with 9.6 seconds to go

   The Star: All-American forward Thomas Robinson was erratic and  ineffective early – he seems to be rushing his offense and was briefly benched by Coach Bill Self – but finished strong, attacking the OSU defenders precisely and assertively while finishing with a team-high 19 points.

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  NEW ORLEANS

   Game One

Kentucky 69, Louisville 62

   Why Kentucky won: The Wildcats never could really create enough distance to secure the outcome until the closing minute, largely because Anthony Davis was the only Kentucky player to perform at an elite level for the entire contest. But Terrence Jones, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist all came through in big ways when John Calipari’s crew was most threatened in the second half.

   The Turning Point: Davis scored as the Wildcats beat the Cardinals’ full-court pressure to go up, 65-58, with 1:09 to go.

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NEW ORLEANS – Jae Crowder of Marquette put his Big East Player of the Year skills on display Friday afternoon in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

He scored 25 points (nine of 16 from the field) to go with five rebounds, three assists, three steals and no turnovers to help the East to a 103-99 victory over the West in the NABC Reese’s College All-Star Game.

And if product placement/mention is a story pays dividends these days, you can guess what I hope to see parked in front of my house when I return to glorious Laguna Niguel Tuesday evening .

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No. 2 seed Ohio State (31-7) vs. No. 2 Kansas (31-6)

Approximately 8:50 p.m. ET

Against the tourney field: Ohio State 15-5, Kansas 15-6

Tourney trail: Ohio State – Loyola-Maryland 78-59, Gonzaga 73-66, Cincinnati 81-66, Syracuse 77-70; Kansas – Detroit 65-50, Purdue 63-60, North Carolina State 60-57, North Carolina 80-67

When they met before: Kansas prevailed, 78-67, in Lawrence on Dec. 10. Thomas Robinson scored 21 points while Elijah Johnson added 15 for the host Jayhawks. The Buckeyes played without Jared Sullinger (sore back). William Buford (21) and Deshaun Thomas (19) combined for 40 points for the Buckeyes.

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