INDIANAPOLIS — They stood in stunned silence in the Kentucky student section, some with hands on their head and others with their tear-stained faces buried in their shirts.
So many times this season the undefeated Wildcats escaped with victories in games they trailed deep into the second half. This time the team that seemed destined never to lose ran out of late-game magic.
Kentucky overcame a nine-point first-half deficit and an eight-point second-half deficit in a classic national semifinal, but the Wildcats could not hold a late four-point lead. Sam Dekker and Frank Kaminsky spearheaded Wisconsin’s rally for a 71-64 victory that sent the Badgers to the national title game against Duke and ended Kentucky’s bid for perfection two wins shy of the first 40-0 season in college basketball history.
Dekker had the biggest shot of the game, a deep 3-pointer that gave Wisconsin the lead back at 63-60 with 1:42 remaining. Kaminsky and Bronson Koenig then clinched the victory with seven clutch free throws in the final 24 seconds.
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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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