ARLINGTON, Texas — Twenty-three years later, the freshmen fell short yet again.
In what was a microcosm of Kentucky’s up-and-down season, the eighth-seeded Wildcats started slow, finished fast but came up six points short, falling to No. 7 UConn 60-54 in Monday night’s national championship game at AT&T Stadium.
Ultimately, the free-throw line doomed Kentucky, 11 missed attempts from the foul line the biggest difference between jubilation and disappointment, in addition to 13 turnovers. The Wildcats and their all-freshmen starting lineup didn’t have an answer for UConn’s experienced backcourt either, as Shabazz Napier and Ryan Boatright combined for 36 points and six assists while the Harrison twins, so clutch through Kentucky’s magical ride to Monday night, managed just 15 points on 6-of-16 shooting.
The players refused to use the inexperience card for their jittery start, as UConn raced out to a 30-15 lead. But Kentucky coach John Calipari knew better. He has been to Monday night three times now and he saw the deer-in-the-headlights look from his players.
“They’re all freshmen,” he said. “They’re scared to death again. We tried to settle them down and we were rattled early.”
Kentucky, of course, responded the way it did throughout March. It wasn’t enough, not against UConn’s savvy and Napier’s shotmaking.
In the quiet Kentucky locker room, where players whispered about disappointment and hurt, rued their failure to make the same game-winning plays they grew accustomed to making the past two weeks, it seemed the biggest lament was this group won’t have a chance at redemption, as the Michigan’s Fab Five did more than two decades ago.
The plan was to cut down the nets, do what the Fab Five couldn’t.
“We had some success, but we didn’t want to go out like this,” Aaron Harrison said. “The run we made will go down in history.”
Next year’s roster will be different. Julius Randle, James Young and the Harrisons could all enter the NBA Draft, though none of them commented publicly on their futures. When asked what this team would be capable of next year, if everyone returned, Aaron Harrison smiled and said: “We could be national champions.”
It was a roller-coaster year for Kentucky and its dynamic freshmen. It began with silly talk of 40-0, followed by the chaotic and underwhelming regular season and then the stunning run to Monday’s final, one victory in this tournament more dramatic than the next.
It ended in heartbreak — but several weeks later than many predicted it would on Selection Sunday.
“Now that the season’s over, it is about the players,” Calipari said. “It’s no longer about the program. It’s no longer about the team. They sacrificed. They surrendered to each other. Season’s over. Now it’s about them. And we’ll sit down with each of them and they will make decisions for themselves.”
Almost certainly, Randle and Young will be off to the NBA, possibly the Harrisons, too. And Calipari will start fresh again, molding a handful of new highly ranked prospects into another March run.