‘A twinge of immorality’

Whitlock after the Kansas game:

Davidson stripped me of any pretense. Victory is all that mattered.

Sunday afternoon, you wanted the Kansas Jayhawks to join the other No. 1 seeds in the Final Four by unleashing a magnificent display of sculpted athletic ability and power. You wanted Bill Self’s Jayhawks to look as impressive as Roy Williams’ Tar Heels, John Calipari’s Tigers and Ben Howland’s Bruins.

Davidson refused to let it happen. For the better part of two hours at Ford Field, the undermanned and better-disciplined Wildcats walked the Jayhawks through a clinic on execution, effort and determination.

Davidson vs. Goliath was just that, and as the afternoon wore on, you felt a twinge of immorality rooting for the basketball mercenaries instead of the student-athletes. Sure, you wanted Self to exorcise his Final Four demon and KU’s seniors to make it to college sports’ grandest stage.

But you would’ve felt better about it had the top-seeded Jayhawks crushed the 10th-seeded Wildcats and created the impression that a Kansas victory was the only legitimate option. You didn’t want to think about it. You didn’t want to spend all day with a knot in your stomach and the creepy feeling that Davidson just might be the better team.

And then, in the final seconds, as Jason Richards unspooled a would-be game-winning three-pointer, you were emotionally down on the same knee as Self, praying that might would trump right.

Richards’ shot banged wide left, preserving Kansas’ 59-57 victory and, more embarrassingly, laying bare your win-at-any-cost mentality.