Kentucky Wildcats at UConn Huskies

Shabazz Napier, UConn too much for Kentucky, seize national title

The guys who stuck around at UConn ended up with the last laugh and a pretty good prize to go with it: the national title.

Shabazz Napier turned in another all-court masterpiece Monday night to lift the Huskies to a 60-54 win over Kentucky's freshmen and bring home a championship hardly anyone saw coming.

"You're looking at the hungry Huskies," Napier told the crowd and TV audience as confetti rained down. "Ladies and gentlemen, this is what happens when you banned us."

The senior guard had 22 points, six rebounds and three assists, and his partner in defensive lockdown, Ryan Boatright, finished with 14 points.

The victory comes only a short year after the Huskies were barred from March Madness because of grades problems. That stoked a fire no one could put out in 2014.

Napier kneeled down and put his forehead to the court for a long while after the buzzer sounded. He was wiping back tears when he cut down the net.

"I see my guys enjoying it," Napier said. "That's the most special feeling ever."

UConn (32-8) never trailed in the final. The Huskies led by as many as 15 in the first half and watched the Wildcats (29-11) trim the deficit to one with 8:13 left. But Aaron Harrison, who pulled out wins with clutch 3-pointers in Kentucky's previous three games, missed a 3 from the left corner that would have given the Cats the lead. Kentucky never got that close again.

"We had our chances to win," Calipari said. "We're missing shots, we're missing free throws. We just didn't have enough."

Calipari said he decided not to foul at the end "because they're not missing."

In all, Calipari's one-and-doners got outdone by a more fundamentally sound, more seasoned group that came into this tournament a seventh-seeded afterthought but walked away with the program's fourth national title since 1999. The Huskies were the lowest seed to win it all since Rollie Massimino's eighth-seeded Villanova squad in 1985.

"Somebody told me we were Cinderellas, and I was like, no, we're UConn," coach Kevin Ollie said. "This is what we do. We are born for this. We're bred to cut down nets. We're not chasing championships. Championships are chasing us."

Napier and Boatright now go down with Kemba Walker, Emeka Okafor, Rip Hamilton, Ray Allen and all those other UConn greats. This adds to the school's titles in 1999, 2004 and 2011.

The crowd was cheering for UConn at the end.

Napier stuck around. So did Boatright. And Calhoun's replacement, Ollie, figured out how to make their grit, court sense and loyalty pay off.

"It's not about going to the next level, it's not about going to the pros, but playing for your university, playing for your teammates," Niels Giffey said. "And I'm so proud of all the guys on this team that stuck with this team."

The Huskies were one step ahead of Kentucky all night, holding off furious rally after furious rally.

Kentucky's biggest push started when James Young (20 points, seven rebounds) posterized Amida Brimah with a monster dunk to start a three-point play and trigger an 8-0 run.

"I've got a lot of heart and I wasn't coming out," Boatright said. "We put in too much work all year for me to give up on an ankle sprain."

The big question in Kentucky is what will happen to all those freshmen. Julius Randle (10 points, six rebounds) is a lottery pick if he leaves for the NBA. Young and the Harrison brothers could be first-rounders. The big question is whether they'll want to leave on this note.

"I think all these kids are coming back, so I think we should be good," Calipari deadpanned, getting big laughs.

He called his group the most coachable bunch he has ever had. The Wildcats were the preseason No. 1, then a huge disappointment through much of this season. They were seeded an uninspiring eighth for the tournament and came on strong in time for a run to the final.

But what fun 2013-14 turned out to be.

Napier was named the Final Four's most outstanding player, and he earned it on both ends of the court, keeping a hand in Aaron Harrison's face most of the night and holding him to a 3-for-7, seven-point, no-damage game.

They felt it back in Storrs, where they could be celebrating another title shortly. The UConn women play for the national title Tuesday.

If they win, it will be the first sweep of the titles since 2004. The last school to do it: UConn, of course.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

How can I watch Kentucky vs. UConn?

• TV Channel: Kentucky at UConn 2021 College Basketball, week 4, is broadcasted on CBS.
• Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo Free trial.
  Try Vidgo for free.