UCONN DEFEATS KENTUCKY IN THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT

Connecticut’s title run in 2011 was like few that had ever been seen. On Monday night, the Huskies completed an equally improbable tale.

One year after being banned from the NCAA Tournament, UConn claimed its second stunning national championship in four years, upsetting Kentucky 60-54 in front of a record crowd of 79,238 fans at AT&T Stadium.

The Huskies, 100/1 long shots to win the title when the tournament began, became the first No. 7 seed to capture the crown, giving coach Kevin Ollie a championship in just his second season and the school its fourth since 1999, remaining undefeated in national championship games.

Shabazz Napier (22 points) officially ended any comparisons to Kemba Walker, putting on a performance as good as his former teammate, while closing his collegiate career with his second ring.

“This is what happens when you ban us,” Napier said from the podium during the trophy ceremony.

On Sunday, the Huskies were asked why they thought they could beat the most talented team in the country:

“We got a lot of heart and a lot of will and Coach always told us that this was a special team,” said guard Ryan Boatright, who finished with a Robin-like 14 points next to Napier’s Batman showing. “He has been saying it all year, been saying it all last year, it’s a special team and we really believe that.”

No. 8 Kentucky nearly overcame its sixth straight deficit of the tournament to become the first team to win the title by starting five freshmen, but failed as Michigan’s Fab Five did 22 years ago, unable to end the season as it began it, as No. 1.

Connecticut (32-8) held a 15-point lead late in the first half, but looked ready to collapse as the second half began, having seen its advantage cut to one on multiple possessions, but Napier found his cape, giving the Huskies a 48-39 lead with 10:55 remaining.

Just when Kentucky could be counted out again, James Young (20 points) soared through the lane, finishing a jaw-dropping dunk despite a foul, kick-starting the crowd and team, which went on a 8-0 run.

But clutch shooting from Niels Giffey and Napier wouldn’t allow Kentucky to ever get in front, as the Wildcats watched their title hopes wither at the foul line, where it shot 13-of-24, while the Huskies hit all 10 attempts.

Kentucky came out with another head-scratching slow start, suffering from the syndrome John Calipari has noted his freshmen have been afflicted with throughout the early stages of the NCAA Tournament’s biggest games.

The Wildcats’ decisive size advantage was of little importance early, negated by the Huskies’ aggressiveness, as Napier and Boatright attacked the paint on one end, and prevented the Harrison twins from penetrating on the other end.

The experienced backcourt carried Connecticut, opening 8-of-11 from the field, with the duo outscoring Kentucky 21-20 at one point — while the team led by 13 — and Napier finishing with 15 first-half points.

Connecticut’s biggest matchup problem, Julius Randle, was no problem at all, sidelined with cramps for stretches of the first half. Randle, who had averaged a double-double in the tournament, only attempted three shots in a lethargic first half, allowing the Huskies to take a 15-point lead with less than six minutes left before the break, marking Kentucky’s largest deficit of the tournament.

The overwhelmingly dominant Kentucky crowd came to life over the final 5:32 of the half, as Kentucky went on a 16-5 run — hitting 6-of-8 shots after opening 5-of-17 — to close the halftime deficit to 35-31, buoyed by the calm shooting and demeanor of James Young, who appeared on his way to Calipari’s prediction of a 25-point performance.

Predictions, we’ve learned, don’t mean much this time of year.