Kentucky beats Baylor 82-70 in South Regional

By Paul Newberry

Associated Press

Published: Sunday, March 25 2012 3:03 p.m. MDT

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Baylor's Perry Jones III, Baylor's Deuce Bello and Baylor's A.J. Walton, from left, walks down the court during the first half of an NCAA tournament South Regional finals college basketball game against Kentucky, Sunday, March 25, 2012, in Atlanta.

David J. Phillip, Associated Press

Summary

Top-seeded Kentucky cruised into the Final Four for the second year in a row, blitzing Baylor with a dominating first half on the way to an 82-70 rout at the South Regional on Sunday.

ATLANTA — Top-seeded Kentucky cruised into the Final Four for the second year in a row, blitzing Baylor with a dominating first half on the way to an 82-70 rout at the South Regional on Sunday.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist scored 19 points and the Wildcats (36-2) took control with an early 16-0 run. Kentucky led 42-22 at halftime and Baylor (30-8) never got any closer than 10 the rest of the way.

Anthony Davis had 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Terrence Jones was all over the place with nine rebounds, six assists, three blocks and two steals and — most in the first 10 minutes.

Kentucky will face state rival Louisville in the national semifinals at New Orleans Saturday. The Wildcats will be seeking their first national title since 1998.

Quincy Acy led Baylor with 22 points. The Bears were eliminated in the regional final for the second time in three years.

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