UConn Huskies win national championship, beating Kentucky Wildcats

Shabazz Napier and DeAndre Daniels helped lead Connecticut to its fourth national title in school history. (Ronald Martinez/Getty) In a game featuring the

Ted Keith | Apr 7, 2014

UConn Huskies win national championship, beating Kentucky Wildcats /

Shabazz Napier and DeAndre Daniels helped lead Connecticut to its fourth national title in school history. (Ronald Martinez/Getty)

In a game featuring the highest combined seeds in the history of the national championship game, the Connecticut Huskies defeated the Kentucky Wildcats 60-54 at AT&T Stadium in North Texas to win the school's fourth NCAA title. All of those championships have come since 1999, the third-fastest a team has won four titles in NCAA history. It is UConn's second title in four seasons and the first for 41-year-old head coach Kevin Ollie, who is in just his second season leading his alma mater and only four years removed from a 13-year career as an NBA player.

Just as in 2011, the Huskies were led to the championship by a stellar performance from a veteran guard. That year, it was junior Kemba Walker, who averaged 23.5 points during UConn's six-game run to the title as a No. 3 seed. This year, it was senior Shabazz Napier, a freshman on that team three years ago, who scored 22 points on Monday night to help the seventh-seeded Huskies knock off the eighth-seeded Wildcats while earning Most Outstanding Player honors. UConn is the first No. 7 seed ever to win the national championship.

Kentucky was bidding to become the first team with five freshman starters to win the title and for its second championship in three seasons. The Wildcats trailed by as many as 15 points in the first half and despite closing to within one on several occasions, never tied the game after it was 6-6 and didn't lead once all night. James Young led UK with 20 points and Julius Randle had 10 despite appearing to be hobbled by an ankle injury. The Wildcats were looking for their ninth NCAA title, instead they lost for the fourth time. UConn is now 4-0 in championship games.

Aaron Harrison

Niels Giffey

Published Apr 7, 2014

TED KEITH

Ted Keith is a senior editor for Sports Illustrated and oversees SI.com’s baseball and college basketball coverage. He is also the co-host of SI.com’s weekly baseball podcast, “The Strike Zone.”