NEW ORLEANS -- Like many of you, I had the Louisville codger punching out the Kentucky codger in the ESPN dialysis office pool. Never mess with a 71-year-old Cardinals fan with a good right jab.

But that's about it for UK failures these days. Otherwise, the Wildcats have all but locked up this Final Four, right?

The view is looking pretty good from Kentucky's perspective as Anthony Davis and the Wildcats prepare for the Final Four in New Orleans. Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

In Saturday night's national semifinal at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, they'll flick away 8½-point underdog Louisville like a cigarette butt. Then late Monday evening, they'll dispose of whatever poor sap -- Kansas or Ohio State -- happens to advance to the championship game. For all we know, CBS already has Kentucky's "One Shining Moment'' video cued up and ready to go.

So spectacularly and unnaturally talented is the Kentucky roster that Gary Williams, the former Maryland coach, says UK could beat the NBA's Washington Wizards in a one-game matchup at Rupp Arena. And here's the kicker: Louisville star freshman Chane Behanan, who was recruited hard by UK and is buds with Wildcat freshmen Anthony Davis and Marquis Teague, agrees with Williams.

"They probably can," Behanan said between allergy-related sneezes Thursday. "I wouldn't doubt it. I'm not doubting Kentucky. They're a very, very good team. And they've got a lot of pros on the team. They probably can go in the NBA and win a couple of games."

Everything is in place for a Kentucky Koronation. The wise guys in Vegas love them. Hoops analysts swoon over them. And Behanan is right; the NBA draft later this year is going to be an infomercial for UK basketball. Everybody but the Kentucky team manager is going to be picked in the first round.

You can't even invent reasons why Kentucky could leave New Orleans without the NCAA championship trophy. The Dome Factor? Please. The Wildcats won't have any trouble putting the biscuit in the basket -- dome or no dome.

"It won't be [a factor] for Kentucky because they shoot a lot of layups and dunks,'' said Louisville coach Rick Pitino.

Kentucky has the title of No. 1 overall seed. Kentucky has Davis, the consensus national player of the year, and the almost equally gifted freshman, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Kentucky has a coach (John Calipari) with an obscene 87.7 winning percentage at UK.