Anthony Davis: Kentucky Wildcats Superstar Must Be at His Best vs. Kansas

We know that Anthony Davis is an elite player and a once-in-a-generation NBA prospect. He's done everything in his power to prove these things this season, and anybody who says he hasn't is a mere hater.

There's only one thing left for Davis to prove. He's done a lot this season, but he'll need to lead Kentucky to a win against Kansas in the NCAA National Championship Game to prove he's a champion.

So go ahead, Mr. Davis. Prove it.

It won't be easy. Not by typical Anthony Davis standards, anyway. He's a dominant big man, but he'll be going up against two big men in Kansas forward Thomas Robinson and center Jeff Withey who are pretty good in their own right.

Davis likely won't have to bother with Robinson all that much when he and the Wildcats are on offense, but all of us can rest assured that Davis and Robinson will come face-to-face when the Wildcats are on defense.

John Calipari is no fool. He knows that putting the clamps on Robinson's offensive output will severely limit Kansas' offense as a whole, and he knows that putting his best defender on Robinson is the best way to go about doing that.

When Davis and Robinson are matched up, there are going to be some pretty intense battles. Davis will have the length, the athleticism and the anticipation to hang with Robinson, but Robinson's strength and aggressiveness will count for a lot in their one-on-one matchups. He's one of the few players in the nation that Davis is not capable of dominating on the defensive end.

There's not a doubt in my mind that Robinson will be tasked with helping out with Davis on the defensive end, but he's going to spend the bulk of his time matched up against Withey. He's not an elite player by any stretch the imagination, but Whithey's definitely better on defense than he is on offense. Specifically, Withey is one of the few players in the nation who is in the same ballpark as Davis in terms of blocking shots.

Davis handled himself pretty well against Kansas way back in November, scoring 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting with six rebounds and seven blocks. Robinson, on the other hand, was held to 11 points on 5-of-12 shooting with 12 rebounds. It wasn't the best game he had all season, though it certainly wasn't bad.

However, that first matchup shouldn't be looked at as a sign of things to come in the national title game. Robinson really hadn't come into his own yet, and Davis was not known as the all-time difference-maker that he is today. The game has changed over the last several months, and the matchups and the way Calipari and Bill Self are going to handle the matchups will change too.

For Kentucky to win, it will need Davis to get the better of Robinson, Withey and whoever else the Jayhawks send at him on Monday night. If he is at anything less than his best, the Jayhawks are going to be knocking on the door of an upset by the time the game ticks down to its end.

This is not to say that Kentucky should be worried. At this point, the Wildcats know that asking Davis to be at his best is merely asking him to be himself.