March is where college basketball predictions go to die. As each round has gone by, I've found a new reason to count out Shabazz Napier and Connecticut. And each time I've been incredibly wrong.
Kentucky’s size is UConn’s latest challenge
The Wildcats have a trio of 6’6 guards, who will do battle with six-footers Shabazz Napier and Ryan Boatright.
Ronald Martinez
Against Iowa State, it was DeAndre Kane's 6'4 and nearly 25-year-old frame that worried me against the diminutive Napier. Against Michigan State, the Huskies had to contend with two lottery picks and one of the best coaches in the game. In the rematch with Florida, another grinder guard in Scottie Wilbekin would be manned up on UConn's scoring machine.
Title Bout
Title Bout
None of this was enough to stop the Huskies, who are playing defense better than any team in the Tournament. Their new challenge will be a Kentucky team that finished as one of the most balanced teams in the country. The Wildcats are also one of the biggest, sporting a trio of 6'6 guards to go along with 6'9 Julius Randle, 6'8 Alex Poythress and seven-footer Dakari Johnson. Even without fellow seven-footer Willie Cauley-Stein protecting the rim, Kentucky's length should bother UConn.
Connecticut has enough size in the paint to match Kentucky's bigs. Kevin Ollie has a rotating cast of bigs that have given teams fits in the tournament, including block party host Amida Brimah. But the Huskies are small on the perimeter. Napier has proven he can score against teams of any size, but he and fellow starting guard Ryan Boatright barely crack six feet.
Teams are having enough trouble closing out on Aaron Harrison, who has hit three game-clinching or game-winning threes in Kentucky's run to the title game. Imagine UConn's diminutive guards trying to put a hand in his face while the clock is expiring. Kevin Ollie can counter with 6'6 guard Omar Calhoun or 6'6 wing Lasan Kromah, but not without losing a large part of his team's offensive spark.
From the start of the season, Kentucky appeared to have the dream team. After a series of reality checks and roadblocks, the Wildcats enter the title game as the favorite. But as a team that heads into its fifth straight game as an underdog, UConn has become incredibly hard to count out.
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