If at First You Don't Succeed

John Calipari has taken three different schools to four Final Fours. The last three were filled to the brim with bitter disappointment. Last night, Coach Cal's cup ran over with champagne.

UK fans celebrate back in Lexington. 1

FUTILITY

In 1996, Calipari led the UMass Minutemen to the Final Four (though the achievement would be vacated from the record due to NCAA violations). They would lose in the National Semifinal game to the eventual National Champion Kentucky Wildcats, coached by his one-time mentor-turned-nemesis Rick Pitino.

Cal would lead the Memphis Tigers to the National Championship Game in 2008 (a run that would also be vacated from the record due to NCAA violations), but, leading Coach Bill Self and the Kansas Jayhawks by three in the final seconds, his Tigers would go 0 for 4 from the free throw line. Mario Chalmers of Kansas would make a clutch three point shot at the end of regulation and KU would win in overtime.

In 2011, Kentucky was a heavy favorite but fell to red hot Connecticut and Hall of Fame coach Jim Calhoun. UConn would go on to win the National Championship. Again, Calipari's team was nothing more than a footnote in another team's championship run.

For all of Derrick Rose's greatness in the NBA, his college career will forever be remembered for the free throw he missed. 2

"FAVORED" DOES NOT MEAN "EASY"

Kansas was not going to bow down and kiss the UK ring. Naismith Award winner Anthony Davis (6 pts., 16 reb., 5 asst., 6 blks., 3 steals) did not make a shot from the field until there were just over five minutes remaining in the game. Davis, the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Tournament, went 0 for his first 8 shots from the field. He did not score until the second half.

Kansas made multiple runs to cut the Kentucky lead down to 10 points or less. The Jayhawks forced the high percentage shooting Wildcats to take more shots from the perimeter than they normally do. Kentucky found itself playing the clock milking game in the second half because of how thoroughly Kansas locked down the Kentucky post game.

In the end, it made no difference. While John Calipari stood in the shadow of the 2008 meltdown, the Wildcats never broke, in spite of a lot of bending. In spite of yet another masterful second half, come-from-behind coaching job by Kansas' Bill Self, Kentucky's superior talent, their physical skills, and the clock were too much for Kansas to overcome.

Thomas Robinson (18 pts., 17 reb.) made the contest a two possession game, cutting the lead down to five with two clutch free throws in the final two minutes. That was as close as the Jayhawks would come. Calipari finally claimed his long coveted and ever-evasive national championship.

Tyshawn Taylor (10) got gangsta slapped by Anthony Davis (23). 3

LEGACY


What will be remembered from last night's game will not be the details of the game. It will not be Tyshawn Taylor's questionable insistence on driving into the lane and challenging one of the greatest single-season shot blockers in NCAA history, Anthony Davis, to no avail. It will not be Kansas' lapses on defense, such as leaving Marquis Teague (14 pts., 3 asst.) of Kentucky wide open along the perimeter several times. It will not even be the furious late comeback that brought Kansas within striking distance.

What will be remembered is that John Calipari, one of the greatest college coaches of his time, validated his membership among the coaching elite with a championship. What will be remembered is how five starters, including three who will likely be in the NBA next year, played unselfish team basketball all season long and dominated almost every opponent who got in their way. The pristine excellence against a basketball blue blood opponent, culminated with a championship, not seen in several years will be the lasting impression of the 2012 National Championship Game.

Congratulations to the Kentucky Wildcats and Head Coach John Calipari on his first, ever national championship.

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1) Image from www.kentucky.com
2) Image from www.prosportsbloggers.com
3) Image from www.nj.com
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