ATLANTA - John Calipari found nothing funny about the movie 21 Jump Street, a comedy his team saw Thursday instead of watching NCAA tournament games.
David J. Phillip, AP
The day before the Sweet 16 game, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, left, and Darius Miller and the rest of the team were taking in the movie 21 Jump Street.
David J. Phillip, AP
The day before the Sweet 16 game, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, left, and Darius Miller and the rest of the team were taking in the movie 21 Jump Street.
"It was awful if you're 53," Calipari said Saturday, noting that senior Darius Miller picked an appropriate flick for the 20-and-under set.
Kentucky players and coaches routinely go to the movies on the road. Calipari is treating this weekend the same way.
There is lightness in their disposition and an air of inevitability that Kentucky, with freshmen and sophomores that seem to be a step away from the NBA, will advance to the Final Four for the second year in a row and 15th time overall.
All signs point to the school winning its eighth national championship April 2 in New Orleans.
The Wildcats are the tournament's top seed and have all their players healthy. North Carolina has been plagued by injuries, most recently to point guard Kendall Marshall, and needed overtime Friday to beat No. 13 seed Ohio in the Midwest Regional in St. Louis. Syracuse lost center Fab Melo to academic problems.
Kentucky players, meanwhile, banter publicly about what movie to see. As long as Calipari isn't picking it, they seem to agree. "I think he likes old Western movies," freshman forward Anthony Davis said with a laugh.
Baylor (30-7) will try to stop Kentucky (35-2) on Sunday (CBS, 2:20 p.m. ET) in the South Regional final at the Georgia Dome. Baylor has a skilled frontcourt anchored by 6-11 Perry Jones III and overachieving guards but lacks the consistency and fluidity of Kentucky.
Still, Baylor should be one of the tougher matchups for Kentucky this season. Indiana played at Kentucky's speed Friday but fell short 102-90 in a game that had the pace of a track meet.
Kentucky players have not been absorbed with strategizing for this game. That's not their style.
"I don't overload them with stuff from the other team," Calipari said after beating Indiana. "There's no scouting report on the other team. My team will watch five minutes of their team. They'll watch them the day of the game. That's it.
"I want (Kentucky players) worried about us. Let's just have fun playing basketball. We'll tell you what you've got to do and how you're going to have to play."
Baylor has to figure out how to defend against six players capable of scoring sprees. Davis, gangly at 6-10, leads Kentucky in scoring (14.2 a game) but freshman forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had the more outstanding game against Indiana as Davis sat out most of the first half with two fouls. Kidd-Gilchrist scored 24 points to go with 10 rebounds and went 10-for-10 from the free throw line.
Every starter for Kentucky has first-round draft potential, with Davis leading the way as the likely No. 1 overall. Kidd-Gilchrist and Terrence Jones are potential lottery picks.
Players aren't envious of each other, though it probably helps that they are all expected to make a good buck professionally. "I think with a lot of teams, you'll be jealous of someone who is dealing well or gets all the attention," Davis said.
There will be plenty to go around if Kentucky wins it all.
Of course young players can be unpredictable, and that is always a danger in the NCAA tournament. Think about Michigan's Chris Webber, a freshman with the Fab Five in 1993, calling a timeout the team didn't have in the national final against North Carolina and paying for it with a technical foul in the loss.
Early this season Calipari pointed out his team's youth and errors. For months now he has been dishing a hefty amount of praise.
"I've got a good team, and we have good players," Calipari said. "Now, if that's not good enough, we had a great season. But let's just play basketball. That's what we do best."
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