Anthony Davis

Below are five things to take from Team USA's 156-73 win Thursday over Nigeria: 1. Team USA stormed off to a great start and didn't let up. It turns out France and Tunisia woke up a sleeping giant. And anyone wondering if Team USA could correct its early shooting problems no longer need to question it. Team USA posted a near-perfect performance that can be broken down in several areas. First the historical: Team USA's 156 points set the record for most points in an Olympic basketball game, which Brazil once had when it scored 138 points over Egypt in 1988.

A common criticism thrown around by  UCLA  basketball fans is that if  Kentucky  can win with talented freshmen, as it did last season, then why can't the Bruins, who are loaded with freshmen stars this season? "We're no Kentucky," UCLA guard Norman Powell said Monday. "We don't have Anthony Davis. We don't have Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. We don't have that type of players. With Shabazz [Muhammad] and Kyle [Anderson], they're great players, but Shabazz isn't Anthony Davis.

Kobe Bryant rarely lacks for motivation. He continually chases his sixth ring and beyond. Bryant thrives on proving he'll still stay dominant at the tail end of his career. As much as he shows respect for emerging young talent, such as Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, Bryant refuses to pass the torch to them. Bryant wants to squeeze every single ounce of talent out of himself to maximize his standing in the NBA history books. But Bryant also takes some kind of pleasure in reading the negative things the media write about him, or the challenges other stars bestow upon him. That's why Anthony Davis, whom the New Orleans Hornets will likely select with their No. 1 draft pick, perhaps should have thought twice before uttering these words: “[Kobe]

LONDON - Sorry for the disturbance amid the parade of U.S. basketball royalty, but where's Anthony Davis? LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul and the endless stream of umpteen-time All-Stars were at post-game interview sessions with reporters, but Davis couldn't be tracked down. Turned out he had already wandered into the locker room, figuring nobody wanted to talk to him. Why would they? He's a footnote, an asterisk after all the bold type and exclamation points in the oft-breathless coverage by international media of the U.S. team.

LONDON - Sorry for the disturbance amid the parade of U.S. basketball royalty, but where's Anthony Davis? LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul and the endless stream of umpteen-time All-Stars were at post-game interview sessions with reporters, but Davis couldn't be tracked down. Turned out he had already wandered into the locker room, figuring nobody wanted to talk to him. Why would they? He's a footnote, an asterisk after all the bold type and exclamation points in the oft-breathless coverage by international media of the U.S. team.

NEW ORLEANS — Louisville Coach Rick Pitino , after Saturday's NCAA national semifinal defeat, had the courage to compare Kentucky freshman center Anthony Davis to Bill Russell . Sacrilege? "When you see this young man at the collegiate level, you realize why they're so good," Pitino said of Davis. "Not that their other players aren't, but he's so much of a factor. " Davis had 18 points, 14 rebounds and five blocked shots in Kentucky's 69-61 win against Louisville.

This is the week the " Notre Dame Killer" comes to life. Anthony Davis, on a late fall Saturday 38 years ago, led USC to a rout over the Fighting Irish with six touchdowns. Two years later, after the Irish took a 24-0 lead late in the first half, he ran for four more touchdowns in what became known as "The Comeback. " Davis is 58 now, but his achievements are never far from his thoughts. "Obviously, I'm someone of interest . . . I'm a name," says Davis, who now works as a part-time security guard and lives in his mother's Sylmar apartment.

Freshman R. Jay Soward's 78-yard kickoff return to open the second half was his second in two games. It was the first time USC has had two kickoff returns for touchdowns in a season since Anthony Davis did it three times in 1974. * Junior tailback Delon Washington registered perhaps his best game since his 109-yard debut against Washington in 1994.

The consensus among NBA executives is that two things are a certainty about the 2012 NBA draft, which will take place Thursday. One is that Kentucky big man Anthony Davis is the clear No. 1 choice and the New Orleans Hornets will make him their selection with the first pick. The other point of agreement is that this is a deep, talented draft. But there are other story lines too. Many league executives wonder what Charlotte Bobcats owner Michael Jordan will do with the second pick.

Anthony Davis says that a day rarely goes by when someone doesn't approach him to talk about the games. Davis, the former USC tailback, is irrevocably linked with Notre Dame and his astounding accomplishments in 1972 and 1974. "Sometimes people mix up the games," Davis said. "They say that they remember when I scored six touchdowns against Notre Dame in '74 and four touchdowns in '72." Davis sets them straight, reversing the order.

Team USA faces Lithuania in the fourth game of pool play in the 2012 London Olympics beginning Saturday at 6:30 a.m. PDT. Below are five things to watch. 1. Will Team USA stay grounded? There's nothing to nitpick about the Americans' epic 156-73 win Wednesday over Nigeria. They set Olympic records in a slew of categories, including most points in a game, margin of victory (83), highest scorer (Carmelo Anthony's 37 points), three-pointers made (29), field-goal percentage (71.1%)

Below are five things to take from Team USA's 156-73 win Thursday over Nigeria: 1. Team USA stormed off to a great start and didn't let up. It turns out France and Tunisia woke up a sleeping giant. And anyone wondering if Team USA could correct its early shooting problems no longer need to question it. Team USA posted a near-perfect performance that can be broken down in several areas. First the historical: Team USA's 156 points set the record for most points in an Olympic basketball game, which Brazil once had when it scored 138 points over Egypt in 1988.

LAS VEGAS - Buried in a ballroom amid the opulence of a high-rise casino hotel on the Las Vegas Strip, the 12 members of the U.S. Olympic basketball team were unveiled Saturday. They hope to hit the jackpot in London next month. Nine players were already on the team before Saturday - LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love, Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler. The final three players added to the roster were Clippers forward Blake Griffin, Oklahoma City guard James Harden and Philadelphia forward-guard Andre Iguodala.

No one could say things went according to script, because beyond the top pick there was little besides uncertainty in this unusually deep NBA draft. The Charlotte Bobcats mulled what seemed like a million trade offers for the No. 2 selection Thursday night … before ultimately drafting Kentucky'sMichael Kidd-Gilchrist and keeping him. For the moment, anyway. NBA draft 2012: Pick-by-pick coverage There was an actual trade involving two first-round players, though No. 17 pick Tyler Zeller going from Dallas to Cleveland for No. 24 selection Jared Cunningham plus a pair of second-rounders generated pretty much zero excitement outside (and possibly inside)

A selection-by-selection look at the 2012 NBA draft: No. 1 New Orleans Hornets: Anthony Davis, 6-11, 222, Kentucky, power forward Davis knew he would be the No. 1 pick before it was determined which team would get the selection. He is the centerpiece of New Orleans' attempt to revive the team without Chris Paul. While Davis needs to add muscle and develop in the post, he is a long, athletic wing player who is a very talented rebounder and shot blocker. He can defend multiple positions and is a very tough player.

The consensus among NBA executives is that two things are a certainty about the 2012 NBA draft, which will take place Thursday. One is that Kentucky big man Anthony Davis is the clear No. 1 choice and the New Orleans Hornets will make him their selection with the first pick. The other point of agreement is that this is a deep, talented draft. But there are other story lines too. Many league executives wonder what Charlotte Bobcats owner Michael Jordan will do with the second pick.

Anthony Davis, perhaps the greatest college player never to win the Heisman Trophy, tucks the football under his right arm and a giant grin explodes across his face. Although he's wearing a blue suit with a double-breasted jacket, and his black shoes carry a Saturday-night-on-the-town shine, Davis looks at home carrying a football.

Kentucky's starting lineup of three freshmen and two sophomores did most everything together en route to the school's eighth national title. Now, they will each go their separate ways in the NBA. Freshmen Anthony Davis , Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Marquis Teague , and sophomores Terrence Jones and Doron Lamb declared for the draft in a nationally televised news conference Tuesday night. "We made it work," Jones said. "We all wanted to be there and do it together like we've done everything else together.