At the Final Four, teams pursue titles - and sleep

ARLINGTON, Texas — Moments after the wave of credentialed media receded from his locker, Kentucky forward Alex Poythress slid deep into his cubbyhole, splayed his legs forward, leaned his head back, closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Deep asleep – and quickly.

Lost amid the fever and adrenaline-fueled rush of March Madness are two teams, Kentucky and Connecticut, battling against the evils of fatigue, against the tired legs and heavy eyes that come with a torrent of late-night games and high-stakes risks. If the most obvious example, Poythress is one of many players on both sides looking to recharge on a short schedule before the Huskies and Wildcats meet on Monday night for the national championship.

So are the coaches. Kentucky's John Calipari returned to the team's hotel early Sunday morning, hours after a national-semifinal win against Wisconsin, and watched film until 3:30; he then awoke at 7 a.m. to fulfill another day's worth of obligations – preparation. media, practice and more preparation.

"You know, we're working on fumes now," Calipari said. "It's not like we're not tired, but your adrenaline gets you through all this."

So does sleep. The quest for rest looms large in the minds of Huskies and Wildcats alike, from catching forty winks on a whim – in a locker, on the team bus, at the drop of the hat – to the sort of deep slumber that only a comfy, oversized, team-hotel bed can provide.

If you can get it, that is. Try UConn forward DeAndre Daniels, who found sleep elusive after Saturday night's 63-53 win against Florida sent the Huskies into Monday night.

"We went to the hotel, showering, ate some chicken tacos and couldn't really sleep," he said. "Was tossing and turning all night just thinking about Monday. I just couldn't wait to get on the court."

Everyone on the UConn roster will try to tuck in at a reasonable time Sunday, guard Omar Calhoun said, even if the thought of matchup with Kentucky may, like Christmas Eve, send visions of championship trophies and confetti dancing in their heads.

"It'll definitely be hard to fall asleep," he said. "Everyone's going to make sure they're in their bed, laying down. Everyone's going to be focused and ready to go."

For the Wildcats, a game-day nap is one of the few set items on a normally wide-open schedule: Kentucky coaches usually send out team-wide text messages to let players know where to go on game day, often only 10 minutes in advance, forward Willie Cauley-Stein said. But naptime is, well, mandatory.

It's also a newer addition to Kentucky's pregame bag of tricks. Calipari instituted scheduled naps midway through the season as a way to center a team struggling against the day-to-day rigors of the Southeastern Conference. It was one of the many tweaks the Wildcats used to reverse a once-disappointing season.

"It's worked out for us," senior guard Jarrod Polson said. "We like our sleep right before the game."

Kentucky freshman Dominique Hawkins has already mapped out his Monday routine: wake up, eat, practice, watch a movie – "Lone Survivor," starring Mark Wahlberg – then eat a meal – chicken tenders – and, yeah, nap.

"We do get some extra sleeping time," he said.