ESPN Men's Basketball

1. Ohio State and Marquette are in negotiations to play on a naval ship in Charleston, S.C., on or around Veteran’s Day, according to multiple sources familiar with their scheduling. The game would be organized by Morale Entertainment, the same group that set up the USS Carl Vinson game on 11-11-11 between North Carolina and Michigan State. Ohio State’s other marquee games are at Duke in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, while also hosting Kansas in a return game. Marquette is in the Maui Invitational with North Carolina, Texas, Butler, Illinois, Mississippi State, USC and host Chaminade. The Golden Eagles are waiting to see who they will play in the SEC-Big East Challenge. But they have games against LSU in a return situation, host rival Wisconsin, and are at Green Bay in what overall should be the toughest nonconference slate under Buzz Williams.

2. Kansas had struggled to find a quality home game, so the Jayhawks went to an old friend, former player and league rival. Colorado and Tad Boyle, who played at Kansas and coaches Colorado, are finalizing a deal with the Jayhawks to do a two-year home-and-home series, starting in Lawrence. The Buffaloes reached the NCAA tournament third round last season, losing to Baylor in Albuquerque. Kansas had no ill will toward the Buffaloes when they left the Big 12 for the Pac-12, unlike rival Missouri. Re-starting this series is good for both leagues and programs.

3. The A-10 followed the Big East’s lead by declaring during its meetings Thursday that any school that is ineligible for the NCAA postseason cannot participate in its championships. The A-10 doesn’t have any school facing a penalty, but wanted to do this just in case it occurs. The Big East had to make this rule after UConn was banned from the 2013 postseason due to poor APR scores. The same thing is happening in the CAA with Towson and UNCW. The Big East changed its bylaws, preventing a school that is not allowed to go to the postseason to play in its championships. The CAA has the same rule. That means UConn, Towson and UNCW cannot play in the 2013 Big East or CAA, tournaments, respectively.

This morning, my man Myron Medcalf honed in on the Indiana Hoosiers. He spoke with coach Tom Crean about Cody Zeller's similarities to Andrew Luck -- which go deeper than "they're both really good" -- and the massive preseason expectations the Hoosiers will face in the run up to the 2012-13 season. Crean is handling the preseason expectations how you'd, ahem, expect -- by trying to instill some perspective in his players, who he believes aren't "caught up" in the hype for next season:

"When you’re immersed in it, you stay in your own reality. And our reality is we’ve got a long way to go to get where we want to go. We’re going to have upwards of eight freshmen and sophomores on this team next year. Obviously, one of them is Cody [Zeller] but still, he’s only going to be a sophomore. And the bottom line for us is we’ve got to get a lot of guys meshed into this team."

Of course, he's right. That goes not only for Indiana's chances of competing for a Final Four spot or a national title, but also for winning the Big Ten, which will again be the nation's best conference in 2012-13.

Indiana is the early favorite to win the league, but it's hardly a guarantee. At least two other teams, the Ohio State Buckeyes and Michigan Wolverines, are fully justified in having Big Ten title aspirations. Both teams will arguably have as much talent on their rosters as the Hoosiers.

As expected, Ohio State lost Jared Sullinger to the NBA draft, and shooting guard William Buford graduated this spring. But the Buckeyes -- thanks to Thad Matta's excellent 2011 recruiting class -- have big-time players waiting in the wings.

Center Amir Williams was infrequently used in his freshman season, but was the No. 4 center in his recruiting class. He should be ready, after a year of Sully apprenticeship, to take on big minutes and a major role on both ends of the floor. Swingman Sam Thompson could experience a similar sophomore boost, and point guard Shannon Scott will take on a bigger share of minutes playing behind and alongside starting point guard Aaron Craft. Sophomore small forward LaQuinton Ross missed his entire freshman season due to academic issues, but he could play a role as well.

Plus, the remaining starters are awfully good. Deshaun Thomas is one of the nation's most versatile scoring threats who rounded out his game throughout an excellent sophomore season, while Craft remains the nation's best perimeter defender, bar none. Offense may be a struggle for these Buckeyes early in the season, but their sterling ballhawking defense, a trademark of Matta's teams at OSU, isn't going anywhere.

Michigan will be no less talented. Coach John Beilein got the best news of his offseason when he learned that Big Ten Freshman of the Year (media) Trey Burke would eschew the NBA draft and return to school. Burke is a fantastically intelligent, savvy player, and his efficiency statistics (he posted a 105.3 offensive rating in 2012) will only get better as he improves his outside shooting and cuts down on the turnovers that occasionally marred his proclivity (as evidenced by his 28.7 percent assist rate) for the art of the dime. Shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr. could be one of the nation's most polished perimeter scorers as a junior.

Beilein will mesh his leftover talent -- from a team that won a share of its first Big Ten title since the mid-80s, no less -- with the two best recruits of his Michigan tenure. Glenn Robinson III, the son of former NBA star Glenn "Big Dog" Robinson (we agreed we are calling Robinson III "Little Big Dog," yes?) is ranked No. 18 overall in the class of 2012. He has drawn raves from ESPNU's scouts for his "freakish athleticism" and ability to score from the perimeter, off the dribble and in the mid-range. His longtime friend and fellow incoming freshman, power forward Mitch McGary, was once considered the second-best prospect in the class of 2012. He's slipped since then, but only to No. 27 overall in the class, and he promises to be a force in his first season for the Wolverines.

The loss of shooters Stu Douglass, Zack Novak and Evan Smotrycz, and the addition of Robinson and McGary (as well as the return of forward Jon Horford from injury) present Beilein with an interesting but altogether welcome problem: These Wolverines won't be a typical Beilein team. They will attack the glass and pound the paint far more often, if only out of necessity. And with all those weapons, they'll be very difficult to stop.

Then there's Michigan State. The Spartans lost their heart and soul in senior forward Draymond Green, but the rest of the picture is bright: Point guard Keith Appling is back, as are forwards Adreian Payne and Derrick Nix. Impressive freshman guard Branden Dawson saw his season end after tearing an ACL in early March; his return will be tentative throughout the year. The good news? Tom Izzo beat out Indiana and Purdue to land the No. 2-ranked shooting guard in the class, Gary Harris, and will add three top-100 players (power forwards Kenny Kaminski and Matt Costello and small forward Denzel Valentine) to a team positively brimming with big, tough, athletic players. If the Spartans can do without Green -- and that's a valid question, given how much he meant to this program -- and rebound the ball at a similar rate as in 2012, they're legitimate Big Ten contenders, too.

Then there are the usual suspects: Wisconsin is Wisconsin, and Bo Ryan still hasn't finished worse than fourth place, or missed the NCAA tournament, in any season of his 11 seasons at the school. Minnesota will get Trevor Mbakwe, one of the nation's most bruising power forwards (now on his sixth-year medical redshirt season), back from last year's season-ending ACL injury. Purdue coach Matt Painter will bring in three top-100 players (center A.J. Hammons, shooting guard Rapheal Davis and point guard Ronnie Johnson, all three of whom hail from Indiana), an influx of size and young talent to build around. Iowa coach Fran McCaffery hauled in his best recruiting class, including Iowa native Adam Woodbury, the No. 10-ranked center in 2012. Northwestern has Drew Crawford and a spate of solid guards to put around senior transfer Jared Swopshire, an athletic former Louisville forward who could be a perfect fit for Bill Carmody's Princeton system.

You get the idea. Not all of these teams will contend for the Big Ten regular-season title. But most of them will. At the very least, the conference is sure to have a deep spate of teams determined to make any path to the Big Ten crown less a sprint than a drawn-out, physical scrum. Remember when Kentucky went undefeated in its league, with a massive efficiency margin to boot? Yeah. That ain't happenin' here.

Indiana is the favorite, and an obvious pick to get to the Final Four, and for good reason. But before the Hoosiers can turn their attention to the glories of March, they'll have to test their mettle for months on a twice-weekly basis against the best league in the country. That can be a good thing, or a bad one. It can be galvanizing experience, or a humbling one. Either way, nothing will come easy.

Until he misfired during a Final Four loss against Kansas (9 points), forward Deshaun Thomas had been the best player –-- arguably -- on the Buckeyes' roster throughout the NCAA tournament.

The left-hander’s versatility fueled Ohio State’s run to New Orleans with performances that raised his NBA stock.

But Thomas announced Friday that he’s decided to return to school for another year. And that call automatically keeps the Buckeyes in the national title hunt for the 2012-13 season, even with Jared Sullinger turning pro and William Buford graduating.

I think they’re a solid top-10 squad. Aaron Craft is back to harass opposing guards. And there’s potential among young players who didn't get a ton of minutes this season.

If former McDonald’s All-America center Amir Williams blossoms in the offseason and starts to fulfill his potential as a sophomore, the Buckeyes could make another strong run in the NCAA tournament.

But Thomas will be the focus of Thad Matta’s system. And I think his skill set will allow Ohio State to spread the floor and take full advantage of Thomas’ abilities, which we saw during the NCAA tourney.

While the Thomas announcement solidifies Ohio State’s position entering next season, the rest of the Big Ten is one giant question mark.

The league has the potential to send multiple teams to the Big Dance. But depending on who goes pro by the April 29 deadline (after April 10, any early entrant who applies for the NBA draft will lose his collegiate eligibility), it might not pack the same punch it did during the 2011-12 campaign.

Indiana and Michigan could join Ohio State in the preseason top 10, but that all depends on a few decisions that will be made in the coming weeks/days.

If Cody Zeller and Christian Watford return, the Hoosiers could compete for the national championship. Tom Crean is bringing in one of the best recruiting classes in the country. Zeller will be a Wooden Award candidate and preseason All-America center. If Watford builds on his Sweet 16 performance against Kentucky (27 points), he could be one of the best forwards in the conference.

Michigan needs Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr. to return. Burke, however, is more vital to John Beilein’s plans. With highly rated prospects Mitch McGary and Glenn Robinson Jr. coming to Ann Arbor for the 2012-13 season, the Wolverines will add productive scorers who can contribute right away if Hardaway goes pro. But what will they do if they lose Burke? He might be the best point guard in the country if he comes back for his sophomore season. Without him, Michigan will still possess a talented, young roster. But the Wolverines could end up in Atlanta with Burke leading the way.

Minnesota also faces an uncertain future. The Gophers could be a borderline top-25 squad if preseason all-Big Ten forward Trevor Mbakwe returns. He missed most of last season after suffering a knee injury, but the NCAA recently granted the Big Ten’s No. 1 rebounder during the 2010-11 season a sixth year of eligibility. He’s expected to return -- assuming the Gophers have a scholarship for him. Tubby Smith has already reached the 13-scholarship limit, with two recruits joining the team next season. So Minnesota’s situation could get complicated, too.

Smith has asked the NCAA to allow the team to use a 14th scholarship next season. There’s also a chance that a player will transfer; five have left the program since 2009. But there are no guarantees right now for Mbakwe or the Gophers.

The Big Ten will be talented next season even if the aforementioned stars leave for the NBA.

But right now, it’s hard to project the league’s potential without knowing if its best players will stick around for another season.

Ohio State sophomore Jared Sullinger will enter the 2012 NBA draft.

NEW ORLEANS -- As fans from the upper deck littered the court with seat cushions, this Final Four's version of confetti, Bill Self and Thomas Robinson stood amid the din and chaos, waiting to do their postgame TV interview.

Self, a grin as wide as a mouth can stretch spreading across his face, turned briefly and looked at Robinson, shook his head and mouthed, "Wow."

Perhaps the only people more shocked than Jared Sullinger, who sat jersey over his head in the middle of the court after the buzzer solidified Kansas' 64-62 win over Ohio State were the Jayhawks.

Find a locker room, any locker room in any sport, and you will find athletes lined up to insist that they knew they could and would succeed and achieve, no matter how improbable the odds or ragtag the roster.

Not at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Ten minutes after Kansas landed itself in a national championship game against Kentucky, there was as much stupefied disbelief as unfiltered joy filling the steamy Jayhawk locker room.

For Dana O'Neil's full story, click here.

NEW ORLEANS -- I don't remember the past two or three Final Fours. I can recall most details from the national title games during that stretch, even those that were uneventful.

But I couldn't offer a synopsis of the games that preceded them.

I know Memphis and Kansas didn't have a hard time reaching the 2008 title game. Michigan State and North Carolina won their 2009 semifinal matchups by 23 points combined over Connecticut and Villanova, respectively.

I covered the 2010 Final Four in Indianapolis. Butler and Michigan State played a tight one, but Duke crushed West Virginia.

Virginia Commonwealth and Butler reaching the Final Four as mid-majors made the 2011 Final Four in Houston interesting. But Connecticut went 1-for-12 from the 3-point line in a one-point win over Kentucky. And Butler had little trouble with VCU.

Nothing specific, however, that really lingered in my psyche.

That won't be the case when I'm asked about this season's national semifinals.

On Saturday night at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, both games produced memorable sequences that will fans will reflect upon years from now.

For the full story, click here.

Jason King and Myron Medcalf wrap up Saturday's national semifinals, which didn't disappoint.

NEW ORLEANS -- Thad Matta’s attitude is incredibly healthy.

It was a year ago, after Ohio State lost to Kentucky in the Sweet 16 on a final possession, when Matta sat back and reflected on the phenomenal regular season the Buckeyes had with just a few blemishes.

He was composed again Saturday night, in yet another situation in which the Buckeyes were the favorite to advance, but failed to do so because of late-game execution.

“I’ll get back to the hotel and decompress, but I’m so proud of these guys that they put us in a situation to win a national championship,’’ Matta said after the Buckeyes unfathomably blew a nine-point halftime lead and lost to Kansas 64-62 in the national semifinal.

“There were so many unknowns with this basketball team and to sit here and see that we won 31 games on March 31,’’ Matta said. “I’m not happy we lost the game, but we were there. We had a shot.’’

The Buckeyes have become a consistent winner under Matta. He has survived multiple early entrants departing for the NBA. He continues to recruit elite, NBA first-round talent and at times lottery talent. He isn’t doing anything wrong here. But his team has simply missed on a few key situations in consecutive seasons.

Jared Sullinger was there for both. A year ago, he had David Lighty, William Buford and Jon Diebler as complementary pieces, along with point guard Aaron Craft.

This season, Sullinger, DeShaun Thomas and Buford were the staples along with Craft. But this Ohio State team wasn’t prepared for a bit of a curve.

It came Saturday night, when foul trouble forced Thomas to play only 23 minutes. That changed everything for the Buckeyes.

Kansas double-teamed Sullinger and he suddenly became ineffective. Matta said that he had to use Evan Ravenel and Amir Williams more, which meant they were in the post and not able to draw Thomas Robinson and Jeff Withey away from the basket, which was the game plan.

“That was a pivotal point,’’ Matta said. “We couldn’t extend our lead and make our run.’’

Still, Ohio State had a lead with 2:22 remaining. It was three points, but you could feel momentum shifting. Withey came up with multiple blocks, Craft and Buford each missed a layup and the Jayhawks made free throws to give KU a three-point lead with 1:08 remaining.

The lead was down to one point and then three again when Tyshawn Taylor converted two free throws with eight seconds left.

Taylor stole the ensuing inbounds pass, only to turn it over immediately. That gave the Buckeyes one more chance. Self called for a foul on Craft with two seconds remaining. Craft made the first, but then committed a lane violation on the second when he purposely missed the shot.

Then, with Craft almost looking in disbelief and Sullinger in awe, Sullinger sat on the court and pulled his jersey over his head.

It’s hard to imagine that Ohio State had a nine-point halftime lead, forced 17 turnovers and still lost. But Sullinger’s 5-of-19 shooting was a clear indication that Withey’s length bothered him. Thomas’ 3-for-14 night as well as his foul trouble made the loss easier to understand.

“We just didn’t execute down the stretch,’’ said Sullinger. “We had shots we normally make and we missed. Kansas played smarter and won at the end.’’

Sullinger said he wasn’t expecting the double-team and was thrown off guard. He was noble in his praise for Kansas.

“Good job by Coach Self to switch it up on me,’’ Sullinger said.

And so Kansas will play Kentucky in the national title game. Ohio State will go home, relishing a wonderful regular season that ended with wins at Northwestern and Michigan State to force a three-way tie for the Big Ten title with the Spartans and Michigan. The postseason was highlighted by an Elite Eight victory over Syracuse in the East Regional in Boston.

Whether that camouflages the ending is still to be determined. Ohio State will leave with a missed opportunity for a title. It’s not a reach to consider that the Buckeyes were one of the best teams a year ago, and a win over Kentucky would have set them up for a showdown with North Carolina to get to the Final Four.

There are a lot of ifs to that scenario.

But there is also a consistency: Ohio State couldn’t close then, just as it failed to do Saturday.

“It’s very empty,’’ said Sullinger. “To see someone like William Buford who can’t return to school hurts. He gave it his all these last four years. You feel for him.’’

Sullinger was noncommittal about his future. He hardly showed that he should definitely bolt for the NBA. If he’s gone, then Ohio State will rebuild again. And if he stays, then clearly the Buckeyes will be back as a title contender.

One thing is certain, though: The Buckeyes are a team and program that commands respect with its winning mentality, but still hasn’t found that ability to edge across the finish line with timely execution.

The Kansas Jayhawks rallied once again with another late-game surge to survive and advance in this year’s NCAA tournament. This time Kansas ended the game on an 8-3 run to complete a 64-62 victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes.

The Jayhawks scored the final six points of the game versus Purdue in the round of 32 to secure a 63-60 victory; against North Carolina in the Elite Eight, Kansas finished with a 12-0 run en route to an 80-67 win.

Kansas will be playing in its ninth national championship game and first since winning it all in 2008. This is the Jayhawks' fifth title game in the last 25 seasons, the second most during that span behind Duke’s six appearances.

Painting a victory
The Jayhawks muscled their way to the win, outscoring Ohio State 32-16 in the paint. Kansas had a 42-30 rebounding advantage, grabbing as many defensive boards as the Buckeyes recorded overall.

Kansas also used its intimidating paint defense to generate easy fast-break buckets. The Jayhawks made 7 of 8 field goal attempts and outscored Ohio State 19-8 in transition, with 10 of the 19 points coming off blocks.

Kansas scored nine of its 19 transition points in the final five minutes during its late rally, and has now outscored its opponents 20-9 in transition in the last five minutes in the tournament.

Jeff Withey had just four points but made a huge impact on the defensive end with a Final Four-record seven blocks. Withey now has 27 blocks in this tournament, two shy of the record set by Joakim Noah in 2006.

Thomas Robinson led the Jayhawks with 19 points, but struggled around the basket. He missed 9 of 13 shots and scored only eight points in the paint, but connected on 4 of 5 jumpers outside the painted area.

Buckeyes busted down low
Ohio State took a nine-point halftime lead thanks to a strong 46 percent shooting effort, including 5-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc. However, the Buckeyes went cold in the second half, connecting on just 3 of 12 3-point attempts, and made only five shots inside the arc in the final 20 minutes.

Overall, Ohio State shot 33 percent in the paint, its lowest field goal percentage in the paint over the last four NCAA tournaments. Kansas blocked eight of Ohio State’s 24 paint attempts, including five shots by Jared Sullinger.

William Buford was the lone star for Ohio State, leading the team with 19 points on 6-of-10 shooting.

Buford had made just 29.5 percent of his field goal attempts and averaged 11.8 points per game in the Buckeyes’ four previous tournament games. He finished his career with 1,990 points, tying Jerry Lucas for the third-most points in school history.

Stat of the game
Monday’s title-game matchup between Kansas and Kentucky will be just the second time that an SEC team has faced a Big 12/Big 8 team in the national championship game. The other instance was in 1951, when Kentucky beat Kansas State 68-58.

Kansas rallies from a 13-point deficit to top Ohio State 64-62 and advance to play Kentucky in Monday's national title game.

Rece Davis, Dick Vitale, Hubert Davis and Jay Bilas on Kansas rallying from 13 down for the 64-62 victory and a spot opposite Kentucky in Monday's NCAA championship game.

NEW ORLEANS -- Take a deep breath, if you can, then dig in to this immediate reaction to Kansas' 64-62 win over Ohio State:

Overview: The Buckeyes opened with what might have been their best half of basketball in the 2012 season. Jared Sullinger was getting good touches on the low block, William Buford and Deshaun Thomas were lacing 3-pointers and the defense -- Ohio State's best characteristic all season and the one that earned them this spot in the Final Four -- was utterly stifling. By the six-minute mark, OSU had held the Jayhawks to just 13 points, opened a 26-13 lead and looked likely to dominate their national semifinal in unexpectedly impressive fashion.

And then, of course, the game changed, because Kansas changed. The Jayhawks began pressuring and doubling Sullinger on every touch, and the forward began to cough it up and force bad looks over forward Jeff Withey's outstretched arms. Things got easier on the offensive end, too, where Withey and forward Thomas Robinson began to find space on the low block, where they converted easy dunks and layups on screen and rolls and post-ups, the kind they couldn't find in the first 20 minutes. Kansas' guards scored on turnovers, found their way to the rim and chipped away at the deficit. Meanwhile, Deshaun Thomas spent much of the half on the bench with three -- and then, nearly as soon as he returned, four -- fouls.

By the 14-minute mark in the second half, Kansas had gone on a 25-12 run in little more than 12 minutes, tying the game at 38. From there, the game would always be in the balance.

Turning point: The Jayhawks kept up the pressure, but never built their own lead, even as Thomas languished on the sidelines with four fouls. This was a major victory for the Buckeyes: They had their second-best offensive player off the floor for nearly the entire second half and they gave up their big lead, but they never let Kansas take control of the game. Thomas re-entered at the under-four-minute timeout. OSU led, 55-53.

The Buckeyes still couldn't pull away. With 2:22 left to play, Aaron Craft's steal and fast-break layup gave the Buckeyes a three-point lead, but Kansas nipped and clawed, and with two minutes left it finally took its first lead since the first basket of the game. Tyshawn Taylor and Elijah Johnson delivered on remarkable drives to the paint, Withey made a huge block on the other end and the Jayhawks suddenly found themselves up 62-59 with just one minute to play.

With 55 seconds left, Robinson poached a steal from Thomas, but Craft -- in what may have been the day's best defensive play -- ripped the ball out before Robinson could convert on the break. OSU didn't get a bucket on the next possession, but it was bailed out by a Withey travel (the right, albeit very unpopular, call). Thomas launched a too-early 3 on the other end, which Buford followed up with a putback dunk, and Kansas needed merely to make its free throws to ensure at least a tie game with 8.3 seconds left.

Taylor converted on both. Then, he stole the ball -- a game-sealing play! -- before throwing it away on an overzealous bounce pass. (This is Tyshawn Taylor in a nutshell.) Releford fouled Craft before Craft could shoot a 3 -- not that he didn't try. Craft made the first free throw but was called for a lane violation on the second. The game ended just like that; Craft and his stunned teammates staring at the officials and the scoreboard and each other in disbelief.

Kansas fans started throwing their seat pads in the general direction of the floor, makeshift confetti for the ensuing party. The Jayhawks will have their chance at a national title Monday night. The party had begun.

Key stat: Offensive rebounding percentage. The Jayhawks grabbed 37.5 percent of their misses and limited Ohio State to just 25 percent of theirs, the key difference between two defensively dominant teams in a game in which the smallest of statistical margins made outsized impacts.

Key player: Withey. Every Jayhawk played a role in their comeback and eventual win, and Robinson's night -- 19 points, 8 rebounds, 8-of-18 from the field -- can't be overlooked. But the most important performance came from the 7-foot Withey, whose incredible reach and interior defense made Sullinger a nonfactor on the offensive end. Withey finished with 7 blocks and 8 rebounds; Sullinger posted just 13 points on 5-of-19 from the field. In a game filled with tricky matchup issues, Withey was the biggest mismatch ace up Bill Self's sleeve. He proved why Saturday night.

Miscellaneous: Kansas continued its rather remarkable string of second-half defensive turnarounds. In the past three games (before the Final Four), the Jayhawks have allowed opponents to score 38.7 points per half on 50.0 percent shooting and 51.9 percent from beyond the arc. In the second half of those games, the Jayhawks have allowed just 22.7 points, 22.4 shooting and 15.4 percent from the field. A similar situation unfolded in New Orleans. (Imagine if they locked down like this all game!) Either way, the turnarounds have been remarkable, enough to guide Kansas to the precipice of a national title. Crazy.

What's next: The unlikely story of these Kansas Jayhawks isn't over yet. Kansas survived yet another nail-biting NCAA tournament game -- its specialty in the weeks leading up to this Final Four -- and its latest escape act puts it on the sport's biggest stage, with a chance to take down the overwhelming favorite, the Kentucky Wildcats. The game is a coaching rematch of the 2008 Final Four, when Bill Self's Jayhawks made their nine-points-in-two-minutes comeback to steal a remarkable national title from then-Memphis coach John Calipari's grasp. If we're lucky, Monday night's edition of Self versus Calipari will be half as good. It certainly has that potential.

Meanwhile, Ohio State will head back to Columbus leveled, no doubt, by another missed national title opportunity. Sullinger, the team's star, is almost certain to leave for the NBA, where he'll be a likely lottery pick. Matta will have this team back near the top of the Big Ten yet again in 2013; his Buckeyes remain a recruiting haven and Thomas, Craft and a handful of talented young players will be back in the fold next season. But Matta will surely lament the inability to break through with his big man from Columbus -- the best Buckeyes' player since Greg Oden -- when he had the chance.

NEW ORLEANS -- The thought occurred to me, as I was plodding through the mile or so walk from Bourbon Street to the Superdome, that all the red and blue could have been an optical illusion. Maybe the Kansas and Ohio State fans were blending in with the Louisville and Kentucky masses. Maybe the UL-UK crowds weren't as dominant as they seemed. Maybe it was more evenly split.

Upon closer examination -- i.e., my looking at the actual writing on blue and red shirts, an unscientific but trustworthy method -- I was ready to call this thing. The results are in, and they are what we thought they were: Louisville and Kentucky fans have overtaken this Final Four.

Perhaps the most surprising portion of that statement is that Louisville deserves equally warranted mention in the equation. In fact, Cardinals fans were ubiquitous at the bars and restaurants on Bourbon Street these past two days, outnumbering Kansas and Ohio State fans easily. Even Kentucky fans seemed to fall behind in sheer quantity, at least last night. SeatGeek.com released its ticket purchasing info in graphic form Thursday, and its data showed more tickets being purchased in the city of Louisville than the entire state of Kansas. We should have seen the red storm coming.

Needless to say, Kentucky fans caught up today. They have descended in the requisite anticipated droves, forming what was a nearly 50/50 red-blue split on Bourbon Street and the avenues and throughfares leading to the Superdome. On Bourbon I saw competing "C-A-R-D-S" and "C-A-T-S" chants, empty plastic beer cups flung in every direction, beads and tchotchkes and every possible design in the "T-shirt as trash talk" genre.

These people were occasionally tossing things, and every once in a while they'd turn serious and scream, but for the most part there was a surprisingly good humor to it all. For all the talk of how much these two sets of folks hate each other -- for all the worry about what would happen when Kentucky and Louisville transplanted their distaste into this den of sin -- there was a more casual, jovial quality in the streets. Maybe things won't be quite so angry after all. Or maybe, after a few more plastic cups get drained, the madness will ensue.

Either way, we've got two very big games to decide first. I can't wait for Kansas-Ohio State; I think it could very well be an epic. But if you needed a reminder of what this weekend is really all about, all you have to do is step foot on the streets of New Orleans and look closely at some T-shirts. It's all UL-UK everything, and that won't stop until someone goes home.

They're ready. I'm ready. Let's do this thing.

Bill Self chats with Andy Katz before Kansas' matchup with Ohio State.

Andy Katz and Gene Wojciechowski wrap up Friday's action at the Final Four in New Orleans.