Everyone saw things a little differently

NEW ORLEANS - "You saw what I saw."

That's about all NCAA coordinator of officials John Adams would say about the final 30 seconds of the Ohio State-Kansas game on Saturday night.

Everyone appeared to see something different, but it was the officials who were on the hook for a series of questionable calls in Kansas' 64-62 win at the Final Four. Fans sent seat cushions flying from the stands onto the floor after the game ended.

The sequence that prompted that reaction began when Kansas center Jeff Withey thought he was about to convert a three-point play to possibly put the game away with 27 seconds to go. He caught the ball in the lane, absorbed contact and flicked the ball into the hoop.

"I was getting really excited. I thought I was going to go up, hit a free throw to go up by six or seven," he said.

Instead, referee Jamie Luckie blew the whistle and called traveling.

"It was crazy. I don't know, I didn't think it was a walk. The ref might. He must have saw something," Withey said. "After that, it was a little frustrating."

With just under 3 seconds left, Ohio State guard Aaron Craft stepped to the line with his team trailing 64-61. He made the first free throw, then attempted to miss the second by firing the ball at the rim as soon as referee Pat Adams handed him the ball. Craft grabbed the ball and attempted a layup, but was whistled for a lane violation.

"There is no explanation. Apparently I crossed before it hit the rim. I just knew I had to miss it. I thought that would be the best way for us to get the ball back," Craft said. "They've called it all tournament with guys going in early. It's not about that one call. That's not what lost us the game."

But the Buckeyes never got a chance to foul to extend the game. Pat Adams handed the ball to Kansas, and Ohio State was caught out of position as the Jayhawks inbounded and ran out the clock.

"It was a lane violation. Ohio State, I guess was arguing about it and Kansas was ready to put the ball in play," John Adams said. "You saw what I saw."

John Adams listened to the final moments of the broadcast, then got up and headed directly to the officials' locker room, as he does after every game. He also said it was standard procedure to review every game tape and assign scores for each referee's performance.

TRIPPED UP: Television cables became a bit of a hazard for Ohio State coach Thad Matta as he emerged from the locker room following the Buckeyes' loss to Kansas.

Matta had just done an interview with CBS and was about to walk into a ground-level hallway leading to the postgame interview area when his feet got tangled up in cables and he started to fall. Matta was able to stay up with the help of Ohio State and NCAA officials standing nearby, but he grimaced, then grunted in pain and was quickly pulled back into the locker room.

SUNGLASSES NEEDED: Louisville was sporting its infrared uniforms for the Final Four.

The Cardinals were 5-0 in their orange, err, "red" uniforms, and they weren't about to mess with that success with a trip to the NCAA title game on the line. Louisville ended up losing 69-61 to Kentucky.

"We're in the Final Four. If anybody has a problem with (the uniforms), they can just chalk that up," Louisville point guard Peyton Siva said. "We're not going to change anything."

Kentucky coach John Calipari said this week that the uniforms had been outlawed and they wanted to wear blue. "As a matter of fact the higher seed has a choice of color, and we pick blue," Calipari joked - though as the higher seed, the Wildcats had to wear home whites.

Louisville was one of several teams that made fashion statements - if you can call it that - in the postseason. Baylor did its best imitation of a highlighter with its fluorescent yellow uniforms.

SUPER-SIZED ATTENDANCE: A near-record crowd packed the Superdome on Saturday night.

The official attendance was 73,361 and the NCAA called it the second-most attended session in NCAA tournament history.

WOODEN AWARD: Kentucky freshman Anthony Davis won the Wooden Award on Saturday, the latest honor in his accolade-filled season.

Davis becomes the second freshman to win the Wooden Award after Kevin Durant also accomplished the feat in 2007. Hall of Fame coach John Wooden's grandson, Greg, presented the award on behalf of the Los Angeles Athletic club.

Davis won AP Player of the Year on Friday.