THE CHRONICLE THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010 | 17

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even 2008, when it cut down the nets.Most notably, the Jayhawks boast a regu-

lar rotation 10 players deep that can adjust to all different playing styles. The multi-fac-eted offense ranks second in overall scoring among Tournament teams with 81.8 points per game. Efficiency guru Ken Pomeroy es-timates both Kansas’s offense and defense to be in the top five nationally, an accomplish-ment only matched by Duke this season.

Aldrich will be a lottery pick in June and has controlled the paint with his 6-foot-11 frame to the tune of 9.9 re-bounds and 3.5 blocks per game, second in the Big 12 in both categories.

On the perimeter, the Jayhawks hit over 40 percent of their 3-pointers. While Col-lins and Henry are responsible for most

of those, sharpshooter Tyrel Reed has be-come a force off the bench, hitting over 46 percent of his shots from long range.

Henry, or “X” as he has become known, provides the glue between both offensive styles. On any given possession he can slash and kick to Collins for a 3-pointer, free up Aldrich in the post with a drive or take it to the rim himself.

Kansas is less flashy than its main com-petitors, and thus lacks some of the flair that has gotten Kentucky and Syracuse so much publicity over the course of the regular season. But don’t sleep on the Jay-hawks—they have a combination of talent and experience that no team can match.

A common piece of bracket-filling advice is to avoid simply “picking with the chalk,” or picking all the favorites. Follow that all you want outside the Midwest Regional, but remember: Rock, chalk, Jayhawk.

KANSAS from page 10

Playing in the shadow of Wall is 6-foot-1 guard Eric Bledsoe. The under-recog-nized Bledsoe is a great three-point shoot-er, and the guard has exploded for at least 23 points three times this season.

While there are concerns about the Wildcats’ inexperience, veteran leadership comes in the form of junior Patrick Pat-terson. Patterson was first-team all-SEC last season after averaging 17.9 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. With the better sup-porting cast, Patterson’s production has dropped slightly to 14.7 points and 7.3 re-bounds per game this season, but his contri-butions as a leader cannot be overstated.

On the sidelines, Kentucky is guided by Calipari, who has recent experince in the second week of the tournament. Calipari has

reached the Elite Eight five times, including three out of the last four years with Memphis. Just two years ago, Calipari’s Tigers reached the championship game behind star Derrick Rose, but their championship hopes were dashed by Mario Chalmers’s heroic three to push the game into overtime. Calipari was unable to seal the deal in San Antonio, but his Kentucky squad is more well-equipped than any of his teams in Memphis.

The Wildcats enter the tournament on a roll after winning a thriller over Missis-sippi State to seal the SEC championship. Kentucky has won 12 of its last 13 games, including four against ranked teams.

On Saturday, the Wildcats stomped Ten-nessee by 29 points on a neutral court. If they can carry this momentum into the Big Dance, they will be an extremely difficult out, and will have a good a chance as any No. 1 seed to become the 2010 champions.

KENTUCKY from page 11