Seventh-seeded Connecticut and eighth-seeded Kentucky meet Monday night in one of the unlikeliest NCAA championship games ever.
Kentucky (29-10) and its outstanding freshmen went from preseason No. 1 to out of the rankings after some bad losses. And Connecticut (31-8) was not a popular postseason pick after finishing tied for third in the American Athletic Conference with multiple losses to Louisville and SMU.
In the tournament, the Huskies have stopped some of the country's top guards and put themselves in position for their fourth national championship, the previous three under Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame coach Jim Calhoun.
"Hopefully we have an opportunity to fall back on our defense," second-year coach Kevin Ollie said. "We have been doing that the whole year."
If Kentucky has a chance to win in the final minute, that defense better pay attention to guard Aaron Harrison, one of five freshmen starters.
He has hit huge 3-pointers in the Wildcats' last three games. Harrison rattled in a 26-footer with 5.7 seconds to go in the 74-73 win over Wisconsin in the semifinals. He made almost the exact same shot with 2.3 seconds left against Michigan for a 75-72 win that sent the Wildcats to the Final Four. Against Louisville, he hit a 3 with 39 seconds left to give Kentucky the lead for good in a 74-69.
"The biggest thing is he's not afraid to miss," Kentucky coach John Calipari said. "He's OK with it. He's comfortable in his own skin. ... If you're going to make those kind of shots, you absolutely cannot be afraid to miss them."
These two programs have combined to win six of the last 18 NCAA titles.
"Playing against Connecticut, I mean, I'm just happy we're still playing," Calipari said.
The leader of the group is All-American Shabazz Napier who leads the team in almost every statistical category. He's the guy who makes the big shot or big pass.
This is Calipari's fourth Final Four, but the first two -- Massachusetts in 1996 and Memphis in 2008 -- were vacated over NCAA rules violations.
Now the Wildcats are on an 11-game winning streak in the NCAA tournament and they are one win from a ninth national championship for Kentucky.
"We all play the game of basketball to compete against the best," Napier said. "This is one of them games. ... They worked hard to get to this point and we did too. We're going to do our best to get this 'W."
