UConn's Veterans Outlast Tough, Physical Title Game, top Kentucky

Veteran UConn beats Kentucky's youngsters for School's Fourth NCAA title

ARLINGTON, TEXAS —

Shabazz Napier scored 22 points and +UConn won its second NCAA title in four years, beating all those +Kentucky Wildcats Athletics freshmen 60-54 in the championship game Monday night.

Napier is among three UConn seniors who were part of the Huskies' 2011 title. That trio stayed after coach Jim Calhoun's retirement even when the Huskies were ineligible for the NCAA tournament last season.

They came back strong in coach Kevin Ollie's second season, and the Huskies (32-8) went all the way to their fourth overall title.

Kentucky (29-11), with five freshmen starters, never led in the championship game.

The Wildcats missed 11 of 24 free throws, while the Huskies were perfect on 10 tries.

The beginning of the game was marked by missed shots and turnovers, neither team seeming interested in taking control. That changed with little more than four minutes off the clock, when Napier stole the ball and was fouled, and UConn came out of a timeout on a 7-0 run that took less than two minutes.

From there, the Huskies built the lead to 17-8 before a Kentucky timeout, again got it up to 24-12 on a Napier 3 pointer with 8:33 to play in the half, then made it 30-15 with six minutes to go in the half.

However, Kentucky maintained its composure, began making baskets and outscored UConn 16-5 to end the half and trim the lead to just 35-31 at intermission.

During an on-air interview at halftime, Calipari said his team opened nervous, and that he stressed to his young squad that its late run kept the game well within reach.

“We could have been down 20. We have a chance to win this,” the Kentucky coach said he told his players.

Indeed, his team looked like it received the message, Aaron Harrison hitting a 3-pointer in the opening seconds of the second half to make it a one-point game.

Kentucky would climb within one on several other occasions, but would never take the lead in the game.

A thunderous dunk by Kentucky’s James Young looked like it could be the play that would finally kick the Wildcats into high gear, his throw-down over a pair of Connecticut defenders drawing Amida Brimah’s fourth foul and, with the free throw, making the score 48-42.

The energized ’Cats would draw within one at 48-47, but back-to-back 3’s by Napier and Niels Giffey quickly made it a seven-point game again.

Five Factors that Decided Outcome of UConn's Title

Eighth-seeded Kentucky vs. seventh-seeded UConn was the highest seed total to play for the title since they started putting numbers by the names back in 1979. The Wildcats, who missed March Madness last year, entered the game having not lost a tournament game since the 2011 semifinal against UConn — winning it all in 2012 and missing the tournament last season.

It's Kentucky going for its ninth national title and second in three years, with an almost completely rebuilt roster from 2012. It's the way coach John Calipari does it, like it or not, and it hasn't all been easy sailing. The team that was ranked first in the preseason poll fell out of it completely for the start of March Madness.

Only then, did the Wildcats start playing to their potential.

Kentucky reached the brink of an NCAA title with five freshman starters, including the cool right hand of Aaron Harrison and his decisive 3-pointers in three straight games.

Connecticut got to Monday night's championship game behind a pair of starters with Final Four experience, and a strong dose of defense.

''There's a lot of different ways to play this game and there's a lot of different ways to teach it and coach it and play it,'' Calipari said before the game. ''My whole thing is I'm coaching the hand that's dealt.''

Calipari's hand contained plenty of aces, and now he will once again face the annual question of how many will still be there after the NBA draft. Julius Randle, who played for the title in the Dallas area he calls home, seems the most likely to make the jump.

Aaron Harrison certainly received a lot of attention after last-second 3s to beat Michigan and Wisconsin and another late shot from long range that put the Wildcats in front of defending national champion Louisville.

Seniors Napier and Giffey also had roles on the Huskies' national title team in 2011.