The Connecticut Huskies defeated the Kentucky Wildcats in the NCAA men’s basketball championship game.
Sports Illustrated noted that UConn won its fourth national title by beating Kentucky 60-54 in Texas on Monday night.
As WFSB reported the battle of the two teams was hard fought. In the first half, the Huskies were up 30-15 at one point, but Kentucky changed up its defense and trimmed UConn’s lead to four points at halftime. In the second half, with eight minutes left in game, UConn was clinging to a one point lead after missing five baskets. The Huskies pulled it together though and then made all the throws from the line. UConn maintained the lead the entire game.
Connecticut dealt with a lot of change in its road back to a championship. One year ago, the Huskies were preparing to join the new American Athletic Conference and two years ago longtime coach Jim Calhoun left the program for health reasons. Former assistant Kevin Ollie took over and the players bought into everything he told them.
He said that with hard work they could get back to the title game, so the team worked hard all year and he delivered on his promise.
“Somebody told me we were Cinderellas,” Ollie said. “I’m like, no, we’re UConn. I mean, this is what we do.”
Ollie pulled himself out of Calhoun’s shadow and built his own winner and UConn proved that the school is still a major powerhouse in college basketball.
On Tuesday, the UConn women play for a national title.