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I wasn’t one of the lucky Jayhawk fans on Mass Street last night amongst a soiree of elated revelers. I wasn’t one of the many representing the “Rock Chalk” chants on Bourbon street into the wee hours of the bayou night, nope, that wasn’t me. I was at Disneyland in Southern California. It was my first trip to Disneyland. Even as a kid, I was never one for magic and fantasy. Being a creative writer, I still remain often close to home with my work in the “inspired by” sort of way. Disneyland is a far cry from that mindset.

When my girlfriend and I woke on Saturday morning, the stated plan was as follows:

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Kansas head coach Bill Self on Barry Hinson being hired as men’s basketball coach at Southern Illinois –

“We are all so happy for Barry. The last four years we’ve had a guy that has been a huge asset to our program. Everyone within the university and department has enjoyed him being here so much but his goal was always to get back on the sidelines as a head coach. What a great opportunity that Southern Illinois has presented to him. I know there is not one guy in America that is more proud or will work harder representing Southern Illinois University the way Barry Hinson will.”

Thomas Robinson became the first unanimous All-American in the last couple of years. Living up to that set standard, he has carried his team to the Final Four, embracing the moments before today with what seems to be a surplus of championship grade pedigree: A pedigree evolved only in the prior years that weren’t so easy for the now highly touted future NBA pick. Last year included the loss of his grandparents and his mother, a moment of silence being held on the court of Allen Fieldhouse, a proud coach Self stating, “for him to even be out there [on the court] was remarkable.”

Thomas Robinson, well he’s my favorite Jayhawk in a long time.

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With Kansas and Ohio State both punching their tickets to New Orleans, much will be made of Jarred Sullinger, Thomas Robinson, and even Jeff Withey, but the real key to the game may likely come from the production and efficiency at the Point Guard position. Saturday’s Final Four matchup between the Jayhawks and Buckeyes will feature two Point Guards that have both played outstanding throughout the tournament in Kansas Jayhawk Tyshawn Taylor and Ohio State Buckeye Aaron Craft.

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This will be Kansas and Ohio State’s first time to meet in a Final Four game. Its their second meeting of the year, the first yielding a win for the Jayhawks over an OSU team sans clear NBA lottery pick, Jarred Sullinger.

In what has to be Thomas Robinson’s defining all around career game, the Kansas Jayhawks are headed for New Orleans for a date with Ohio State. Robinson throughout played like the national player of the year and looked mostly like a seasoned NBA player hell bent on winning. His physical aggression had him chasing loose balls well past lines of photographers and not shying away from big shots, even when they included drives the basket and pull up 3-pointers. He continually won the much important post position battle with Zeller on the KU offensive end, all while having 3 fouls against him and a consistent double team. Withey came out with his second back-to-back effort, contributing 3 blocks and 14 points. Overall, Kansas won the battle of bigs over a UNC team touted as strong in that arena. This is something that will be needed on Saturday when they face Sullinger.

Tyshawn Taylor went 6 rebounds, 5 assist and 22 points, giving the Jayhawks a monstrous performance from the guard position. Tyshawn’s speed in transition was another killer, particularly at the 1:59 mark when he got a steal, basket and a trip to the line.

Kansas as a team outhustled the Tarheels, appearing throughout the second half to want the ticket to the Final Four a lot more. Kansas out rebounded a North Carolina team currently ranked number 1 in the country for rebounding. The triangle two defense appeared something of a foreign film with no subtitles for the Tarheels.

Quick Keys to Saturday’s game: minimize the damage that Sullinger can reap by getting him into foul trouble, which he has found problematic in the past two tournament games. Robinson and Withey stay out of foul trouble. Take care of the ball.