Tonight at 9:10 p.m. ET the NCAA National Championship game will tip off from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on CBS between two unusual suspects. The No. 7 UConn Huskies will take on the freshman-laden No. 8 Kentucky Wildcats in a battle few, if any college basketball fans had penciled into their brackets. Live stream the game by clicking this link; Huskies fans can hear the radio broadcast on WTIC News Talk 1080, while Kentucky backers can catch the championship on WKYM 101.7.
The Huskies have had a tremendous run this tourney, taking down some of the most heavily-favored teams in the field on their way to AT&T Stadium. They haven't faced a team as hot as Kentucky yet, however, and will have their hands full with the Wildcats' young studs.
The twin backcourt of Andrew and Aaron Harrison has come into its own, while power forward Julius Randle has put up a double-double in every game of the Big Dance besides Saturday's Final Four clash. That said, UConn will still apparently try to force Kentucky into a slower-paced grind game.
"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."
Defense plus Shabazz Napier has equaled rousing success for the Huskies in 2014. Napier has been the darling of the tournament, and has commanded the full attention of Kentucky coach John Calipari. "The biggest thing is he's not afraid to miss," 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." He hasn't missed much in the last five games, and still racked up six assists vs. Florida which keyed its entire D on him and held him to 12 points.
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