2012 NCAA Championship Preview

#2 vs. #1 8:23 PM CT CBS

Tonight, at the Louisiana Superdome, the 2012 NCAA Basketball champion will be crowned. In a tournament which has lacked the craziness of last season, but produced outstanding basketball games, this matchup for the championship should be great.

On one side, Kansas, which was a team that was supposed to be rebuilding after the departure of the Morris brothers to the NBA after last year's run to the Elite Eight. KU finished second in the Big 12 during the regular season, and if there was a team out of the Big 12 that had a chance at the title, it was rival Missouri. But behind senior point guard Tyshawn Taylor and All-America PF Thomas Robinson, the Jayhawks scratched and clawed their way back from second half deficits to Purdue, NC State, North Carolina, and Ohio State to advance to the title tilt.

On the other side, Kentucky, a team filled with five-star recruits and one and done freshmen bound for the NBA. Behind national player of the year Anthony Davis and phenoms like Michael Kidd-Gilcrest, Marquis Teague, Terence Jones, and Doron Lamb, Kentucky has only lost twice all season long, despite having a target on their back from day one. While explosive offensively, the Wildcats' defense is their calling card, with aggressive perimeter defenders and the best shot blocker in the country in Davis behind them.

The key in the game will be Kansas being able to control Anthony Davis inside and hitting enough outside threes to soften Kentucky's defense. In their win over Ohio State, they neutralized Jared Sullinger with an outstanding effort from Jeff Withey. I think they'll need the same kind of effort tonight. Tyshawn Taylor must also play well in his final game as a college player. In the end, although I will be rooting for Kansas and the Big 12, I have to go with the Wildcats to win the game.
My pick: Kentucky