NCAA championship pick 'em: Kansas vs. Kentucky

Kentucky coach John Calipari talks before his television interview with Kansas coach Bill Self. (REUTERS/Jeff Haynes / April 1, 2012)

By Shannon Ryan, Tribune reporter

9:08 p.m. CDT, April 1, 2012

OFFENSE

The nation's best player ? Kentucky's Anthony Davis ? and the runner-up ? Kansas' Thomas Robinson ? will have plenty of close-up moments in the post. But this matchup will come down to more than a single showdown. While Kentucky had its moments of fending off Louisville on Saturday, the Wildcats often looked like they were in pregame warm-ups the shots came so easily. Davis scored 18 points against Louisville and has averaged 15.2 points per NCAA tournament game. Forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is another offense presence the Jayhawks need to worry about along with five other unselfish Wildcats who average double digits and can break teams down with their speed and transition.

Edge: Kentucky

DEFENSE

Kansas turns the heat up in the second half, holding opponents to about 10 points fewer in the second half of tournament games than the first half. The Jayhawks nearly cut opponents' shooting percentage in half after the half. While few players ? arguably no players ? can stop Davis, Kansas center Jeff Withey is more apt than many. While Davis blocks 4.6 shots per game, Withey isn't so shabby either by blocking 3.6 per game. He just set a Final Four record with seven blocks against Ohio State. Kentucky's defense's ability to affect shots with its length is frightening. But Kansas knows this is its strength and needs to play to it.

Edge: Kansas

COACHING

They've met before. Bill Self got the best of John Calipari, when Kansas beat Calipari's Memphis team in 2008. These are two entirely different teams, and this isn't as dramatic as Calipari versus Louisville's Rick Pitino. But the coaches will be highlighted in this meeting. Both have done wonders with unique groups of players. Kansas won the Big 12 but was never widely predicted as a Final Four team. This Jayhawks team isn't as talented as some in the past few years who missed out on reaching the championship game. Calipari has once again assembled a skilled batch of freshmen and molded them into an unselfish group that can actually hit free throws.

Edge: Kentucky

INTANGIBLES

This is and has been Kentucky's tournament to lose since the start. There is a load of pressure on the top-seeded Wildcats ? and not just from couch-burning, car-flipping Big Blue Nation. With a cast of NBA-ready stars, Kentucky is expected to win. That could cause many teams to buckle, but this Wildcats ensemble has proven they're up for the challenge. They have enough talent and confidence that the championship expectations won't rattle them.

Edge: Kentucky

Shannon Ryan's pick: Kentucky

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