KSR Today: Coach K's career ends; UConn-South Carolina battle for title

Good morning, folks! The 2022 NCAA Tournament national title game has officially been locked in and we can all breathe a massive sigh of relief that Mike Krzyzewski won’t be a part of it.

It was the No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks and the No. 8 North Carolina Tar Heels that earned their spots in the final game of the season, which is scheduled on Monday for a 9:20 p.m. EST tipoff on TBS. Kansas had no problem taking care of Villanova in the first semifinal matchup on Saturday before the nightcap between Duke and UNC produced an instant classic.

Behind elite shot-making from both Duke and UNC, the second half saw 87 combined points in what was the first-ever NCAA Tournament meeting between these two hated in-state rivals. But the Tar Heels storybook run under first-year head coach Hubert Davis lived to see another day, ending Coach K’s Hall of Fame career in the Final Four.

Of course — and you know we’re all thinking about it — it’s tough not to look at the two teams that will battle it out for the national championship and not point to Kentucky’s absolute destruction of both programs earlier in the season. UK smacked North Carolina in Lav Vegas back on Dec. 18 by a score of 98-69 before destroying Kansas in Lawrence on Jan. 29, 80-62 — that’s a combined win total of 47 points.

In this longtime Kentucky fan’s opinion, this fact only makes the situation even worse. Sure, UK can say they handily beat both squads, but the complete 180 the ‘Cats did from February on gives off a “what-could-have-been” kind of vibe more than anything.

What say you?

Does it make you feel better or worse that Kentucky beat both of these teams by 28 points this season?

— Tyler Thompson (@MrsTylerKSR) April 3, 2022

Oscar taking home ALL the postseason awards

The best player in college basketball has got to be the best center in college basketball, right? That was confirmed once again Saturday afternoon when Oscar Tshiebwe was named the recipient of the Kareem Adbul-Jabbar Award, which honors the nation’s best center.

Tshiebwe added two more National Player of the Year awards to his collection on Friday, taking home Associated Press and USBWA honors. He previously earned Sporting News and NABC Player of the Year honors, making him just two away (Naismith and Wooden Award) from being the consensus National Player of the Year.

Here are the major honors Tshiebwe has earned this season:

• AP Men’s College Player of the Year
• NABC National Player of the Year
• USBWA National Player of the Year
• Sporting News College Player of the Year
• Kareem-Abdul Jabbar Award
• NABC Pete Newell Big Man of the Year
• NCAA Consensus All-America First Team
• USBWA First-Team All-America
• NABC First-Team All-America
• Associated Press First-Team All-America
• Sporting News First-Team All-America
• NABC All-District 20 First Team
• Southeastern Conference Player of the Year (coaches/media)
• All-SEC First Team (coaches/media)
• All-SEC Defensive Team (coaches)
• USBWA District IV Player of the Year
• USBWA All-District IV team
• USA Today National Player of the Year
• USA Today First-Team All-American
• The Athletic’s National Player of the Year
• Sports Illustrated First-Team All-American
• The Field of 68 National Player of the Year
• The Field of 68 First-Team All-America
• College Hoops Today National Player of the Year
• USA Today SEC Player of the Year
• USA Today First-Team All-SEC unanimous selection
• Wooden Award All-American

Tshiebwe still has a tough choice to make ahead of him regarding whether or not he returns to Kentucky or decides to go pro. Where do things stand on a decision? The junior center is still considering his options, with the weight of the opening-round loss to Saint Peter’s still on his shoulders.

“At this moment, we just finished the season and we’re going through a lot,” Tshiebwe said. “I’m just taking my time, praising God, talking to Coach. God is going to come out with a decision and Coach is going to help me the best he can. I have not made a decision yet.”

Head coach John Calipari understands both sides of it. Tshiebwe made history in his first year at Kentucky and the appeal of moving forward as a pro is there. There’s also plenty of unfinished business left to take care of as a team. If he wants to return and make another run at the title, the UK head coach will welcome the opportunity with open arms.

“We talked. He knows I’m for him,” Calipari said. “He goes through the process and there are some things he’s looking for. If he chooses to leave, I’ll be sad because I’d like to coach him another year, but I’ll be happy for him. If he chooses to come back, our whole thing will be, ‘Let’s win a national title, let’s go. Let’s do what we did, be the fifth-rated team, but let’s not get knocked out. Let’s move.’”

Part of that is helping Tshiebwe through the NIL process and ensuring he’s in a safe and comfortable position on that front. It’s also on Calipari to build a roster around the star big man capable of winning a title.

“He’s got to do what’s right for him,” the Kentucky head coach said. “We’ve got to have everything in place so he can make the kind of decision that is the best thing for him.”

UConn vs. South Carolina for NCAAW title

Before the men can compete for the national championship on Monday, the women’s side will crown a champion of their own on Sunday night when No. 1 South Carolina and No. 2 UConn go head-to-head. Tipoff is set for 8:00 p.m. EST on ESPN.

Funny enough, the last team to beat South Carolina, which came into the preseason as the tournament favorites and held that reputation throughout the season, was the Kentucky Wildcats during the 2022 SEC Championship game. Since that loss, the Gamecocks have been on a mission for redemption. South Carolina notably suffered a late-game collapse in the loss to UK a few weeks ago, but that problem has seemingly been dealt with.

This will be the 12th meeting between the two programs, with UConn holding a 9-2 record. However, South Carolina has won two of the last three meetings, including one that came earlier in the season. Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma will pit his perfect 11-0 national championship game record against Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley, who is 1-0 in title games after winning it all in 2017.

Louisville and DJ Wagner still building relationship

Kentucky has a new competitor for its prized recruiting target in the junior class, but not to the extent many think — not yet, anyway.

Louisville head coach Kenny Payne has expressed early interest in 2023 five-star guard Dajuan Wagner Jr., the grandson of Payne’s former teammate at UofL, Milt Wagner. The two won a national title together as players in 1986, and now, speculation has run rampant that Payne will not only make a strong push for the standout junior, but he may even hire his grandfather to help bring him to Louisville.

Could John Calipari — who coached DJ Wagner’s father, Dajuan, at Memphis — lose the blue-chip recruit to his former right-hand man at Louisville? A scholarship offer would have to come first. As of today, though, conversations between the two sides have been minimal, at best.

“They haven’t offered me as of right now. Nothing like that,” Wagner told On3’s Joe Tipton at the USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team minicamp on Friday. “… I’ve heard from them, but they really haven’t started recruiting me or anything like that yet.”

He’s fond of Payne, sure. His grandfather played with him and he respects him as a coach. As of today, though, that’s the extent of the conversations.

“I don’t really have a super personal relationship with him,” Wagner told On3. “I know he’s a great coach, he’s coached at great schools before. So I know he’s a great coach and getting that job, that’s really good for him.”

Wagner is rated as the No. 1 overall prospect in the On3 Consensus, a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four major recruiting media services