NCAA Tournament 2012: Why Kentucky vs. Indiana Rematch Will Be All Wildcats
Most sequels are a huge letdown from the first. Unless you're clad in Kentucky Blue, this one will follow suit.
Selection Sunday revealed a potentially legendary Sweet Sixteen rematch between traditional heavyweights, No. 1 overall seed Kentucky and No. 4 Indiana. The pesky VCU Rams forced us to focus back on reality before Indiana outlasted them in a thriller, but now the stage is set for a sequel of epic proportions.
The Hoosiers will point to their monumental win over the Wildcats in December for hope, but Kentucky is a much better team now and will take care of the rising-power Indiana.
Indiana's top scorer and X-factor, freshman forward Cody Zeller, will be shut down by Anthony Davis, the freakish soon-to-be No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. Zeller (11 PTS, 7 REB) had limited success against Davis (6 PTS, 9 REB) in their first meeting.
But since then, Davis has polished his game incredibly on both sides of the ball and virtually cannot be stopped from making his presence felt on every play.
Freshmen-filled Kentucky's nerves got to them in their first road test of the season and in one of the fiercest environments college basketball has seen in a while. Virtually everywhere they've played since has echoed with "Go Big Blue" chants in the rafters.
Kentucky will dominate the board-starved Hoosiers on the glass as well. A top-15 rebounding team in the country, the Wildcats have three players who average more than 11 points and seven rebounds per game.
What sets this Kentucky team apart from earlier ones in coach John Calipari's tenure is the pride they have on defense. Guards Marquis Teague and Doron Lamb use offensive runs to fuel their hard-nosed, suffocating defense and can put games out of reach after forcing just a few turnovers and missed shots.
When they force turnovers in the backcourt, it doesn't hurt to have super-athletic guard/forwards Terrance Jones and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist trailing the play either. Think of them as college basketball's LeBron James and Blake Griffin.
Teague will be, for once, a difference maker on the offensive end for Big Blue Nation as well. He has come into his own in the tournament thus far, averaging 18 points and 5.5 assists.
The then-unranked Indiana rocked Assembly Hall for a hyped showdown against one of the nation's best in Kentucky. Christian Watford's buzzer-beating three to give the Wildcats their only regular-season loss can still be found on ESPN commercials.
When it comes down to it, Kentucky matches up great defensively on each of Indiana's scoring threats. Unless Hoosier Nation can pack the Georgia Dome 17,000 strong, this one won't be close.
