Aaron Harrison and the No. 8 Kentucky Wildcats pulled off yet another clutch victory to edge the No. 2 Wisconsin Badgers 74-73 in the national semifinal. Kentucky will now go in search for its eighth national championship in school history.
No. 2 Wisconsin vs. No. 8 Kentucky March Madness Recap
With Kentucky down by two and the game on the line, it was that man Aaron Harrison who once again delivered the big three to send the Wildcats back to the title game. Harrison has now hit three game-winning three-pointers in a row.
Aaron bailed out his twin brother Andrew, who had fouled Wisconsin’s Traevon Jackson on a three-point attempt with the game tied at 71. Jackson crucially missed the first free throw – the only one Wisconsin missed all night – and it proved costly for the Badgers. He also missed a last-gasp jumper as time expired.
The Harrison twins combined for just 17 points on 7-22 shooting. Aaron’s three was one of just two Kentucky made all night. James Young led all scorers with 17 points while Julius Randle added 16 and five rebounds, which ended his streak of four straight double-doubles.
Young had six points in the Wildcats’ big 15-0 run early in the second half as they built an eight-point lead. But Wisconsin replied with a 10-2 run of its own to tie the game. The two teams would exchange blows right up to the final buzzer.
Kentucky did a masterful job of limiting Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky, holding the talented seven-footer to just eight points and five rebounds. The Wildcats bullied the Badgers inside and outscored them by 22 points in the paint.
With Kaminsky neutralized inside, Wisconsin did its damage from the perimeter. Sam Dekker and Ben Brust each had 15 points for the Badgers, who went 8-20 from beyond the arc.
Kentucky is now an undefeated 7-0-1 ATS in its last eight games after pushing as one-point favorites vs. Wisconsin. The total has also gone over for the fourth straight game.
They will face the No. 7 Connecticut Huskies in the final, where they will try to emulate the 1985 Villanova Wildcats and win the national championship as a no. 8 seed.
Read our National Championship Game preview between the University of Connecticut Huskies and the Kentucky Wildcats.
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