March Madness: UConn and Kentucky to Battle for National Title

The NCAA Finals are set with two teams that most people hadn’t given a second thought let alone expected to be there. The East Region’s No. 7 Connecticut Huskies and the Midwest’s No. 8 Kentucky Wildcats will square off against each other on Monday night, in what will be a title game with the highest combined seeds. Both teams were absent from last year’s tournament and have not taken their opportunities lightly in getting to the national championships.

The Huskies are looking to become the first No. 7 seed to win the tournament and have knocked out some of the tournament favourites, including Iowa State, Michigan State, and overall top seed Florida who were dispatched in Saturday night’s game. The Huskies took control of the game right from the start and never trailed in the second half, with forward DeAndre Daniels scoring 20 points in the 63-53 victory over the Gators. The Huskies have never lost a title game and will be looking for their fourth national championship after winning the last one in 2011.

The Wildcats are looking to become the second No. 8 seed to win the national championships since Villanova did in 1985. The Wildcats booked their tickets to the finals after Aaron Harrison scored a three pointer with mere seconds left in the game to edge Wisconsin 74-73. Last week, Harrison sank a deep three against Michigan with three seconds left to send the Wolverines packing. The Wildcats have won eight national titles with their last one in 2012 – the second most in NCAA history behind UCLA’s 11.

The Huskies who are known for their scrappy play will face a Wildcats team that will muscle their way into the paint and control the offensive rebounds and second-chance points. If the Wildcats are able to stick to their game plan as they have throughout the tournament, they’ll likely be hoisting the championship trophy on Monday night, but you can expect it to be another nail-biter.