The Connecticut Huskies are on the verge of pulling off one of the more impressive feats in NCAA Tournament history after taking care of the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday night in a 56-55 win. UConn has played its best games with its back against the wall, winning five games in five days to take home the Big East Tournament championship before making a run to the NCAA Championship Game. On Monday night, in the final game of the 2011 NCAA Tournament, UConn faces Butler, winners of Saturday's first Final Four game, with a chance to add to an amazing tournament resume.
UConn looked to be in control early on Saturday, storming out to a 31-21 lead at the half, leaving Kentucky reeling. But the Wildcats wouldn't say die, and reeled off a 14-2 run to open the half to take the lead just five minutes into the second half. It was back-and-forth from there as UConn and Kentucky both traded body blows down the stretch.
UConn stretched its lead to six in the waning moments, but failed to make a field goal over the final 2:28, leaving the door wide open for Kentucky. But the Wildcats failed to take advantage with the game winding down, and UConn was able to seal it at the line with two Shabazz Napier free throws, making Brandon Knight's three at the buzzer meaningless as the Huskies escaped with the one-point win.
Kemba Walker led the way for the Huskies with 18 points, six rebounds and seven assists. Jeremy Lamb was also in double-figures for UConn with 12 points and nine rebounds. Alex Oriakhi handled himself well in the paint, finishing with a team-high 10 rebounds.
Brandon Knight had a team-high 17 points for Kentucky in the loss, with freshman Terrence Jones adding 11 points and 15 boards. Doron Lamb came off the bench to add 13 points as Kentucky went with a small, six-man rotation, as usual.
UConn moves on to face Butler in the NCAA Championship Game on Monday night. Here's a look at the rest of the bracket for the Final Four weekend. Be sure to check out SB Nation's updated printable bracket for a look at the tournament as a whole.
Final Four
No. 8 Butler Bulldogs def. No. 11 VCU Rams, 70-62
No. 3 Connecticut Huskies def. No. 4 Kentucky Wildcats, 56-55
NCAA Championship
Butler Bulldogs vs. UConn Huskies on Monday
For more scores and stats, check out our Final Four results StoryStream.