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Sports

Kentucky's Davis named Most Outstanding Player

By Sports Network
Published | Updated

New Orleans, LA – Another day, another personal award for Kentucky freshman Anthony Davis.

This one came with a pretty sweet team trophy as well.

Davis, despite making just one field goal, was named Most Outstanding Player after Kentucky beat Kansas to win the national title on Monday night.

The 6-foot-10 forward, who is likely to go pro after winning most of the country's player of the year awards, had six points in the 67-59 win but filled the rest of the stat sheet with 16 rebounds, five assists, six blocks and three steals.

"He's terrific," said Kansas coach Bill Self, who also saw Davis play Nov. 15 when his team lost to Kentucky at Madison Square Garden in both teams' second game of the season.

Thomas Robinson, the All-American forward for Kansas who made headlines a day before the national championship game when he said Davis was just a player, not Superman, stuck to his guns on Monday even as he lauded the Kentucky star for his impact on the outcome.

"I still don't think he's Superman. Just a great player," said Robinson, who scored 18. "He's not Superman. I mean, I didn't mean anything disrespectful by it. As a competitor, I'm not going to sit here and give all my praise to another player I got to go against. Like I say, Anthony is a great player. You see he impacted the game without even scoring today. That's just what he does."

Davis' only field goal of the game came on a jumper from the left side late in the second half to give Kentucky a 15-point lead. Kansas followed with a 13-3 run and got within 62-57 on Robinson's free throws with 1:37 remaining, but the rally fell short.

The shot Davis hit -- maybe the last in his college career -- "was one of the biggest baskets of the game," Self said.

Afterward, Davis said he hasn't decided whether or not to declare for the NBA Draft or remain at Kentucky, where head coach John Calipari would sure like to have him back.

"We have until April 29th to decide," said Davis. "I'm going to wait, sit down with my coach, sit down with my family, see what the best decision is for me."

It's probably safe to guess where Kansas, and the rest of college basketball's best teams, hope he lands: in a suit and tie as an NBA lottery pick.