It was just a year ago when the University of Connecticut was banned from the March Madness tournament due to problems with grades. That wasn’t enough to stop the Huskies from chasing their fourth national title since 1999.
The University of Kentucky failed to lead at any point in the big game, losing to Connecticut 54-60. It was the first national title game between a 7 (UConn) and 8 (UK) seed.
Uconn senior guard, Shabazz Napier, led all scorers with 22 points and lead his team with six rebounds, three assists,and three steals. James Young led the Wildcats with 20 points in the loss.
The Wildcats shot just 39% from the field and missed 11 free throws while the Huskies were perfect from the line and drained 41% of their shots from the field. UConn never trailed in the game en route to head coach Kevin Ollie’s first national title.
That wasn’t where it ended for Connecticut, however. The women’s basketball team squared off against Notre Dame in the national title game. The Fighting Irish were undefeated in the ACC. The Huskies were just undefeated. It was a battle between the two best teams in the nation.
The Huskies shot 11% more efficiently than the Fighting Irish and out-rebounded them by 23 rebounds in the 79-58 blowout. Brianna Stewart lead the Huskies with 21 points and nine rebounds alongside Stefanie Dolson’s 17 points and 16 rebounds.
It’s just the second time that a school won both men’s and women’s national title in the same year. The first time was Connecticut exactly 10 years ago. Some things never change.
