Connecticut Huskies: The 2014 National Champions

Well, just as one article of mine about the championship game goes up before the game, so does one the day after it is over. And finally, the 2014 NCAA men's basketball national champions are the Connecticut Huskies. The game was set up to be considered a great matchup between Kentucky Wildcats and the Connecticut Huskies. But once the game started, the Huskies just seemed to take control of the lead and just never let go of it. The Wildcats were thought to be the favorite by many because of the team that made up the No. 1 recruiting class in the country. Lead by their star freshmen lineup: forward Julius Randle, the twin guards Aaron and Andrew Harrison, guard/forward James Young, and center Willie Cauley-Stein, the Wildcats were able able to power to show their dominating ability by beating perennial powerhouse teams such as No. 2 seeds Michigan and Wisconsin, and of course, No. 4 seed Louisville. Though maybe not considered a powerhouse, the No. 1 seed Wichita State Shockers went undefeated in the regular season, but unfortunately, they would lose to the Wildcats in the second round of tournament. As for the Huskies, they were not being looked at like underdogs, but more so as a team who could match Kentucky in their skilled quickness and teamwork. Lead by their star guards Shabazz Napier and Ryan Boatright and forward DeAndre Daniels, the Huskies were able the upset some of the top teams in the country such as the No. 2 seed Villanova Wildcats, the No. 3 seed Iowa State Cyclones, the No. 4 seed Michigan State Spartans, and finally upsetting the No. 1 seed Florida Gators in the Final Four to win the championship. Ironically, they had already beaten the Gators in the regular season to give them one of their just two losses. So naturally, after looking at all the upsets won by Kentucky and Connecticut, it seemed just fitting that they would both be duking it out in the championship game. But as I had stated before, once the game had tipped off, the Connecticut Huskies just seemed to take control of game and keep it underneath their foot. In fact, the Huskies held the lead in the game the entire forty minutes thanks to amazing performance by their star point guard Shabazz Napier who scored 22 points and had 6 rebounds, 3 steals, and 3 assists while leading his team to a 60-54 win over the Wildcats to win the national title. As for Kentucky, they seemed to struggle in being able to grab their offensive rebounds and score with smart, clean shot taking. Star forward Julius Randle played most of the game but only scored 10 points and had 6 rebounds. Instead it was James Young, the "silent but deadly" man in the lineup scored 20 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in an attempt to keep Kentucky in the game, which thanks to his efforts, they were able to stay close to the Huskies but never could take over the lead. What's more impressive than just these two teams making the national title game, is that Kevin Ollie, who is in his second year as head coach of the Connecticut Huskies, was able to lead his team to a national title. Some experts and analysts believed that he did not have enough experience in order to lead the Huskies so far and win a title, but I think after yesterday's win, those theories will surely all be put to rest. Well, I guess now that the tournament has ended and people are still trying to understand how this all happened, all we can look forward to now from college basketball is to see who gets drafted by what team and how they'll play in the NBA.