March 31, 2012 7:00 a.m. NEW ORLEANS — The brightest stars are supposed to shine on college basketball’s biggest stage, though quite often it’s the guys off the bench who make the difference between winning and losing.

Make no mistake: The Final Four this year is brimming with star power. Player of the year Anthony Davis is the leader of Kentucky, and there’s a reason that Thomas Robinson of Kansas and Jared Sullinger of Ohio State joined him as first-team All-Americans.

But the biggest difference in the Jayhawks’ win over Ohio State earlier this season might have been Kevin Young, who scored a season-high 14 points off the bench. And it was Russ Smith who had a season-high 30 when Louisville hung tough against the Wildcats in December.

“I take credit for the hard work I put in,” said Kentucky’s Kyle Wiltjer, who also comes off the bench. “It just makes me more confident when I go out there on the court.”

Ohio State coach Thad Matta hasn’t had the luxury of a deep bench the past few years, forcing him to play his starters heavy minutes. This season has been different, though. Due to injuries and matchup situations, Matta has been able to use a deeper rotation.

Eight players have played at least 36 games and three others at least 24. That includes solid contributions from players such as Shannon Scott, Amir Williams and Sam Thompson.

“Something we’ve been able to do this year is really develop some depth at some positions,” Matta said. “Being as young as we are, I think that’s probably helped us.”

Young still smiles when he remembers his performance earlier this season against Ohio State, joking Matta won’t overlook him this time. The forward from Kansas hit a pair of 3-pointers in the game — he hasn’t hit one since — and wore a smile from ear to ear the whole time.

“I don’t need to hit 3s for us to win games,” Young said. “I’ve learned my role on the team a little bit more, just get the ball moving and take open shots a bit more.”

Kansas coach Bill Self praised Young’s unselfishness this week and pointed out that every team in the Final Four has players who understand their roles. It may not mean leading the team in scoring or rebounding, but simply taking advantage of the opportunity when it arises.

“Everybody talks about your so-called rotation guys, or your main guys that have something to do with production or play the majority of the minutes,” Self said, “but everybody has a role.”



NO. 1? WHO CARES: Getting a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament is a big deal. It’s validation for a season well-played and, in theory, opens up an easier path to the Final Four.

Of course, that theory has been disproven quite emphatically the past few years.

Since 2008, when all four No. 1s reached the Final Four for the first time, only four of the 16 teams to make the final weekend have been on the top line of the bracket. The lone team left in New Orleans this season is Kentucky — Syracuse, Michigan State and North Carolina are all gone.

“I think there’s just no difference between a 1 seed and a 2 seed,” Louisville coach Rick Pitino said. “That’s pretty much it. It’s a subjective thing.”

The highest seed to make last year’s Final Four was UConn, the eventual champion. The No. 3 seed emerged from a field that had No. 4 Kentucky, No. 8 Butler and No. 11 VCU.

In 2010, Duke was the only top seed to make the Final Four.

“Seeds don’t matter when you get to this point,” Kansas guard Tyshawn Taylor said.



TEENS TALK: Kentucky’s Anthony Davis took some time after winning the AP player of the year award Friday to talk with fellow 19-year-old Tyre Prosper, who is awaiting a kidney transplant.

“It was great to meet him,” Prosper said. “He’s a really cool guy. Very down to earth.”

Prosper was a guest of honor at the United States Basketball Writers Association’s breakfast, which featured Oscar Robertson, who is heavily involved with the National Kidney Foundation.

Robertson donated a kidney to his daughter, Tia, in 1997.

Prosper has already had one kidney transplant, but it’ beginning to fail. He’s on the list for another and is returning to dialysis soon.

“I just have to deal with it,” Prosper said.



CLASS ACT: Purdue star Robbie Hummel won the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award on Friday, beating out nine other seniors, including Ohio State guard William Buford.

The award is given to the player who demonstrates excellence in the community, on the court, in the classroom and whose character makes a positive impact on those around them.

“I’ve always tried to do things the right way,” Hummel said. “The air will eventually come out of the ball, and how we conduct ourselves on and off the court is extremely important. It feels great to be recognized with a great group of people for living up to that standard.”

Hummel returned from two devastating knee injuries to lead the Boilermakers in scoring and rebounding this season. Purdue lost to Kansas in the third round of the NCAA tournament.

“Guys like Rob Hummel don’t come around very often, but as a coach, you wish you had 10 of him,” Purdue’s Matt Painter said. “He showed up every day wanting nothing more than to help Purdue win, and we couldn’t have asked for a better representative of our program.”

The other finalists were Michigan State’s Draymond Green, Butler’s Ronald Nored, Zack Rosen of Penn, Tyler Zeller of North Carolina, Ashton Gibbs of Pittsburgh, Zack Novak of Michigan, Belmont’s Mick Hedgepeth and Quinn McDowell of William and Mary.

The award is voted on by Division I coaches, national media and fans.