ARLINGTON, Texas — Shabazz Napier has been part of two of the great runs in this column’s four-year history, but loyalty can’t be blind. And right now, no team looks better than Kentucky.
Kentucky (-2 ¹/₂ ) over UConn: Every team needs a little luck to get to this point. If Traevon Jackson’s buzzer-beating jumper drops on Saturday night, Kentucky’s season could be considered a failure. Instead, the Wildcats are on the verge of history. That’s the way it is this time of year, when each game could mean the end of a season and the end of a career.
The Huskies’ defense-fueled run to the championship game has been as remarkable as Kentucky’s, but their underwhelming frontline won’t be so fortunate to be bailed out for another game. Through UConn’s first five games of the NCAA Tournament, its opponents have averaged more than 21 3-pointers per game, including Michigan State’s inexplicable 29 attempts in the Elite Eight. On Saturday, Florida repeatedly settled for outside shots, part of it because of the Huskies, but mostly because the Gators didn’t start feeding Patric Young in the paint until the second half.
Kentucky will not settle. In their Final Four game, the Wildcats pounded the glass and kept attacking the paint, despite Wisconsin consistently sagging its defense and daring the freshmen to shoot. Kentucky only took five 3-pointers. The youth has matured. This is a different team. Amazingly, this is a championship team.
2014 record: 34-19-3
2011-13 record: 72-47-2