NEW ORLEANS, (Reuters) – Kentucky overcame an uncharacteristically tepid performance by freshman Anthony Davis to defeat Kansas 67-59 on Monday to win the national basketball championship for the eighth time.
The Wildcats (38-2) raced to a 41-27 lead at halftime and never looked back, refusing to allow their advantage to slip below five points the rest of the way despite having to weather a late Kansas rally.
Doron Lamb paced the Wildcats with 22 points, while Marquis Teague added 14 and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist 11. Tyshawn Taylor led Kansas with 19 points, while Thomas Robinson added 18 but the All-America forward hit only six of 17 shots.
The 6-foot-10, 220-pound Davis, the consensus player of the year, finished with just six points on one of 10 shooting from the floor but had a team-leading 16 rebounds and five assists.
