ATLANTA – Kentucky could’ve cut the nets down at halftime.

Actually, the Wildcats probably would’ve been good skipping the ceremony altogether.

A South Regional title is fine, but what matters to this bunch of future NBA stars is breaking out the scissors in the Big Easy.

Top-seeded Kentucky advanced to the Final Four for the second year in a row with an 82-70 blitzing of Baylor, setting up a Bluegrass showdown with rival Louisville in the national semifinals Saturday at New Orleans.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist scored 19 points, Anthony Davis added 18 points and 11 rebounds, and Terrence Jones dazzled in all the overlooked areas to lead the Wildcats (36-2) on Sunday. For all the hoopla sure to surround the next game in its basketball-crazed state, Kentucky won’t consider the season a success unless it wins two more games — culminating in a national title.

“I’m not satisfied yet,” Kidd-Gilchrist said.

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This group sure has the look of a champion, shaking off an early blow by the Bears (30-8) — a very good team with a daring fashion sense that was simply no match for Coach John Calipari’s latest group of Fab Freshmen. Kentucky took control with an early 16-0 run and led by 20 at halftime.

“This team is better than I thought,” Baylor Coach Scott Drew said. “This is the best team we faced all year … probably in a couple of years.”

Two years ago, Baylor lost to eventual national champion Duke in another regional final.

“Duke was a good team,” Drew said, “but Kentucky is better.”

The Wildcats beat Louisville 69-62 on New Year’s Eve, but now they’ll meet with the highest stakes ever. Kidd-Gilchrist shrugged when someone asked about playing the Cardinals.

“I’m just worried about us,” he said. “That’s it. I don’t worry about anybody else.”

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Jones, a sophomore forward, scored just one point in the opening half, but his fingerprints were all over Kentucky’s dominating performance: nine rebounds, six assists, three blocks and two steals and — most of them in the first 10 minutes.

“I was just trying to be aggressive early,” Jones said. “That allowed me to get in great position for rebounds and to lead the fast break.”

The Wildcats left New Orleans earlier this month disappointed with a loss in the Southeastern Conference championship game.

That one’s long forgotten.

A national championship has been the goal all along.

 


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