NCAA Notebook

Arizona, seeded fourth in the Southeast, upset top-ranked Kansas 85-82 in the regional semifinal and advanced to the championship game by ousting North Carolina 66-58 in Saturday's opener at the RCA Dome.

''This is a youthful team, but it is also fearless. They think they can win, and that's it,'' Arizona coach Lute Olson said Sunday.

Freshman Mike Bibby, the team's third-leading scorer with a 13.3 average while leading the team in assists, might be the most fearless of the bunch.

''Our team is playing on a confidence-high right now,'' Bibby said. ''We know we can play with anybody if we get off to a good start.''

Olson said Bibby was ''like a sponge.''

''He just wants to learn everything possible about the game,'' the coach said.

There's speculation Bibby will leave college early for the NBA. Bibby said Sunday he planned to play pro ball, but that it ''won't be next year.''

''I'd rather have Mike a couple of years than not to have him at all,'' Olson said.

COLD DOME: Some players thought it was too cool and breezy in the RCA Dome during Saturday's semifinals, perhaps contributing to poor shooting (36 percent) by the Final Four teams.

Minnesota shot the best at 42 percent, and Kentucky won while hitting 38 percent. Arizona shot 33 percent in defeating North Carolina (31 percent).

''That's what Miles (Simon) said,'' Olson said in reference to the conditions in the RCA Dome. ''Bibby was sitting next to him. And I said, 'Mike, did it affect your shot?' He said, 'Yeah. But, I do a lot of shooting at the outdoor basket, so I was able to figure the wind angle.'''

''I noticed it in the second half. In the first I didn't really notice any breeze at all,'' Simon said.

''You could feel it. Miles talked about it when he was shooting a free throw,'' said Arizona's A.J. Bramlett.

Kentucky's Anthony Epps said he was too involved in the game to notice a breeze.

''When you've got 47,000 people in one arena, I believe you need a breeze to keep them cooled down a little bit,'' he said.

MY OLD KENTUCKY DOME: Kentucky began defense of its NCAA title by losing to Clemson in overtime 79-71 in the RCA Dome.