The University of Connecticut players were hungry for another championship. Their impressive defense and their ability to hit clutch shots sated that appetite Monday night. The Huskies downed the freshmen-laden Kentucky Wildcats 60-54 to win the NCAA men's basketball championship. Shabazz Napier scored a game-high 22 points to lead the Huskies while Ryan Boatright added 14 points. James Young tallied 20 points for the Wildcats. The difference came at the free-throw line where Connecticut was 10-for-10 and Kentucky was just 13-for-24. "We always did it together. It was won as a group," UConn Coach Kevin Ollie said. The Huskies never trailed in the game as Napier, the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four, hit key baskets any time the Wildcats got close. Kentucky drew to within one point on three occasions, the final time with 8:13 remaining in the game. But Napier, a senior who was on the 2011 UConn national championship team, drilled a three-pointer.
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UConn wins its fourth title since 1999 and the first under Coach Kevin Ollie
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The Huskies made all their free throws while the Wildcats missed 11
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Shabazz Napier was named the Most Outstanding Player in the Final Four
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He had 22 points in the final and made key baskets to deter potential Kentucky rallies
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"Ladies and gentlemen, you are looking at the hungry @placeholder," Napier said.
Kentucky Wildcats
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Kentucky
Wildcats
Kentucky
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Kentucky
These kids never gave up," @placeholder Coach John Calipari said.
Kentucky Wildcats
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Kentucky
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Kentucky
The @placeholder closed the half on a 16-5 run that included three Wildcats three-pointers.
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Huskies
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Huskies
In the second half, the @placeholder again opened up a nice margin -- nine points at 48-39.
Kentucky Wildcats
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Kentucky
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@placeholder missed three of four free throws down the stretch and couldn't hit any of its jump shots.
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The @placeholder won their fourth national title, all of them achieved since 1999.
Kevin Ollie
Kevin Ollie
@placeholder became the second coach to win an NCAA championship in his initial tournament appearance.
University of Connecticut
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@placeholder will have a chance to match its unique accomplishment of both the men's and women's teams winning titles in the same year.