The Final Four matchups this year in 2014 were no disappointment of spectacle. With the venue being at Dallas Stadium, the games played on Saturday, Apr. 5 provided both exilerating moments and breathtaking finishes.
In the first game of the two game feature it was top seeded Florida vs. seventh seeded Connecticut.
Florida, riding a 30 game win streak into this game, was considered by many to be the shoe-in for the championship game, but Connecticut had other plans in mind.
Connecticut, who seems to be playing like a team on a mission has caught many people by surprise with this tournament run they have put together. Shabazz Napier is the Kemba Walker-esque player Connecticut had in their tournament run a couple years ago, and the team has been playing solid fundamentally with Connecticut being lights out from the free throw line this tournament (85-100).
Connecticut’s head coach, Kevin Ollie, has put together quite a resume this tournament outcoaching the likes of Jay Wright, Tom Izzo, and Billy Donovan, all coaches having Final Four appearences or championships prior.
The game seemed to be a slow paced, low scoring affair, which normally seems to be a game that Florida dominates, but not when a team is shooting cold at 39 percent on the game.
Connecticut, on the other hand, played well against Florida’s smothering full court defense, shooting 56 percent on the game. Napier, Boatright, Giffey, and Daniels all went into double figures. The only players on Florida that scored in double figures were Young and Prather.
Ultimately, Connecticut came away victorious 63-53, with the help of Deandre Daniels’s double-double. Connecticut outscored Florida in both halves of the game, and also beat Florida at the beginning of the year on a buzzer beater by Napier.
In the second game of the double feature, it was Wisconsin vs. Kentucky. Both teams in this tournament have flourished down the stretch even though there are gaping differences in the style of play and experience.
Wisconsin, who is led by junior 7 footer Frank Kaminsky, outplayed Arizona in overtime to get here and seemed pretty heavy favored to beat a young inexperienced Kentucky team.
Kentucky, led by freshman forward Julius Randle, has proven to show clutch moments down the stretch like their opponent, but not the experience as everyone on their starting lineup is a freshman.
Also, with the loss of Willie Cauley-Stein, backup center/forward and excellent shot blocker, it seemed that Kentucky was going to be thin on bench help.
The first half of the game was a cat and mouse game with Wisconsin having the upper hand due to good outside shooting and making free throws. Kentucky was having trouble from the free throw line and only made one three pointer in the first half as they trailed 40-36.
The second half was one of awe by both teams. Showing they really wanted it, Kentucky burst out of the gates to take a 51-43 lead after an opening half three pointer by Wisconsin.
The game would then start to tilt in Wisconsin’s favor until Kentucky sprawled out on a 9-2 run with highlight dunks by Alex Poythress. They took the lead 71-69 with a little over 2 minutes left to play, when Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan called a timeout.
After the timeout, Wisconsin missed their next shot attempt, but Kentucky could not capitalize missing on their own end. With a little over a minute left, Kaminsky scored a putback to tie the game, 71-71.
Kentucky missed again on their next trip down ,and Wisconsin, with a chance to take the lead, got the ball back. Junior guard Traevon Jackson of Wisconsin got fouled by Andrew Harrison, who was being harassed all night on not playing well, on a three point attempt.
Jackson could not capitalize on making it a three point game as he made 2 of 3 free throws, and with a little under 16 seconds left, coach Callipari did not call a timeout and let his boys play it out.
A baseline drive by Young resulted in nothing, so he kicked it out to awaiting Aaron Harrison, twin brother of Andrew Harrison, for a three point shot that swirled into the hoop for the go-ahead bucket of the game.
Aaron Harrison has been no stranger of the big shot this tournament as he made the game winning shot for Kentucky in the two games prior.
A last second bank shot by Jackson of Wisconsin was to hard off the glass and missed to give Kentucky their second championship birth in three years.
Both Connecticut and Kentucky will play in the championship game on Monday, Apr. 7. Both teams did not make the tournament the year previously, and it marks the highest combination of seeds to ever make the championship game with Connecticut a 7th seed and Kentucky an 8th seed. Needless to say, not a lot of people saw that one coming.