Darius Miller

NEW ORLEANS - Kentucky coach John Calipari joked that Darius Miller had been at Kentucky so long and done so much for the program that if he waited a year or two, he could possibly run for governor - especially if the Wildcats beat Kansas tonight to win UK's eighth national championship. Miller laughed at the suggestion Sunday, saying he knew little about politics and “I don't think that would be good for the state” for him to be involved in politics. However, it would be “good for the state” if Kentucky can complete its national championship quest and let Miller go out with a storybook finish.

NEW ORLEANS - For almost 34 minutes, Terrence Jones did almost nothing to make sure that the reason he came back to Kentucky for a second season was going to happen. Jones bypassed going to the NBA after UK¿lost to Connecticut in the 2011 Final Four because he wanted to win a national title.¿Yet when Louisville turned a 46-34 deficit into a 49-49 tie with 9 minutes, 12 seconds to play Saturday, Jones had been playing like he was auditioning for a part on UK¿super fan Ashley Judd's TV show, “Missing.” He wasn't rebounding as the Cardinals owned the boards in a way no team had this season against UK. He wasn't scoring.

NEW ORLEANS - Darius Miller is the one Kentucky player who understands the UK-Louisville rivalry better than any other Wildcat who likely will play in Saturday's Final Four game against the Cardinals. Miller not only grew up in Mason County - a pro-UK area - but he was recruited by Louisville coach Rick Pitino. He's also a senior and not only has played in four regular-season UK-Louisville games, but also watched many more as a youngster growing up in the Bluegrass. “It is a huge rivalry for fans.

Don't you just love this time of year if you are a basketball fan? Most everyone who knows me knows I love basketball. I should say, it gets pretty narrowed down to one team and that one team is my beloved Kentucky Wildcats. I will yell for Louisville if Kentucky is not playing them. I had to watch the Wildcats in Cardinal country this weekend while I was visiting my daughter in Louisville. Friday night I tried to stay reserved, but after Louisville made it to the Final Four on Saturday, all I could think  was 'What if Louisville makes it to the Final Four and the Kentucky Wildcats don't?

Editor's note: Jenny Jones is a Lincoln County and Centre College graduate now living in Washington. D.C., and a life-long UK fan. Did I have the privilege of watching one of the greatest basketball coaches of all time, Adolph Rupp, rule the sidelines for the Wildcats? The answer is No. Was I able to experience the exciting history of Tom Payne becoming the first African American player to sign with the University of Kentucky in 1969 after much racial controversy daunting the program?

ATLANTA - If John Calipari has his way, all the “drama” about Saturday's Kentucky-Louisville Final Four matchup will be focused on him and his staff, not Kentucky's players. “We're playing a basketball game. Believe me, we will not change,” Calipari said Sunday after Kentucky defeated Baylor 82-70 to advance to its second straight Final Four and a matchup against Louisville on Saturday in New Orleans. “The drama of the game will be on the staff, but I don't have many Kentucky players on my team.

ATLANTA - Indiana managed to score 90 points against Kentucky and shoot 52 percent from the field Friday and did things to the UK defense other teams have not done. Vanderbilt's 74 points in a nine-point loss to UK were the most points the Cats had allowed. Indiana had 18 field goals in each half and during the season the Wildcats limited five teams to 18 or fewer field goals in a game and held nine more teams to either 19 or 20 field goals. “We lead the nation in field goal percentage defense all year.

ATLANTA - Darius Miller isn't thinking about Louisville. He's stuck in the moment. The Kentucky senior is savoring the Wildcats' 82-70 victory over Baylor in the South Region finals Sunday afternoon at the Georgia Dome. Although it would be easy for Miller to look ahead to Saturday's national semifinal against instate rival Louisville, he's not buying into the hype, at least for now. He doesn't plan on thinking about the Cardinals until at least Tuesday. “This feels good and we're all taking it in, especially the younger guys,” Miller said.

LOUISVILLE - He came to Kentucky hoping to eventually be a NBA lottery pick, and stayed at Kentucky for a second season with a goal of being the No. 1 player in the 2012 draft. Yet one thing matters even more to sophomore Terrence Jones - winning a national championship - and that's why he didn't mind playing the role of defense first, score whenever Saturday night. “He's got an all-around game and he told us before the game he was not going to be scoring that much because they were going to double down on him and he was going to do what he had to do to help us win and that was play defense and rebound,” said Kentucky guard Doron Lamb after Jones did just that in UK's 87-71 victory over Iowa State on Saturday night.

LOUISVILLE - Darius Miller knows it's crunch time. The Kentucky senior guard pounded his chest after connecting on a 3-pointer that proved be a momentum-changer in the second half of an 87-71 victory over Iowa State in the third round of the NCAA Tournament Saturday night at the KFC Yum! Center. “We all came out with a lot of intensity,” Miller said. “(We) were really focused on what we needed to do. We all know this is the last time this team is going to be together. We're not quite ready for that yet.” The trey by Miller was part of a 14-0 scoring blitz by the Wildcats that propelled his squad to the blowout win over the Cyclones.