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| Harry How/Getty Images |
Kemba Walker (pictured) clearly is the engine that makes UConn run. The Naismith Award candidate can beat you with individual scoring, and as the season wore
on and his supporting cast developed, he could beat you with distribution, as well. His main running mate now is freshman Jeremy Lamb, who since January has
blossomed as a secondary perimeter scorer and is not afraid to take and make big shots. Shabazz Napier comes off the bench, but plays starters' minutes as a
primary ball handler that allows Walker to move off the ball and as a dangerous on-ball defender.
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| Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images |
Freshman point guard Brandon Knight (pictured) is the headliner. His development in the second half of the season upgraded UK to a Final Four contender. He
can take and make big shots, having already beaten Princeton and Ohio State in the final seconds in the NCAAs. DeAndre Liggins has evolved into a
jack-of-all-trades on offense and provides some defensive bite, as well. Darius Miller has finally developed into a more aggressive complementary scoring
option. All three guards are outstanding three-point shooters, leading a UK team that shoots 40 percent from the arc.
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| US PRESSWIRE |
Alex Oriakhi (pictured) has held down the paint for the Huskies all season, often with very little help. If he's in foul trouble or ineffective as a
rebounder, it impacts the team greatly. UConn needs him in the game for his post scoring and putbacks. Roscoe Smith is another freshman who has developed
over the course of the season and provides some length and complementary scoring from the 3 or 4, depending on the lineup. Freshman Tyler Olander typically
starts games but only plays a handful of minutes.
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| Andy Lyons/Getty Images |
Could national title hopes center on a man they call Jorts? Josh Harrellson (pictured) has emerged as maybe the key to Kentucky. As detailed expertly by Luke Winn on Wednesday, Harrellson's ball
handoffs are the starting point of a lot of UK's offensive sets. Meanwhile, he's averaging around 15 and nine for the NCAAs. That doesn't mean you should
forget about freshman Terrence Jones, a sublime talent with the skill to take over games, but he has blended into a more balanced 'Cats attack during the
second half of the season.
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| AP |
The Huskies aren't particularly deep. It's a seven- or eight-man rotation, depending on how many minutes Olander gets as a starter and how time is split
between seven-footer Charles Okwandu and forward Jamal Coombs-McDaniel (pictured). Neither is a consistently big factor, but they give UConn the ability to
match up against bigger teams, as needed, or manage Oriakhi foul trouble. As mentioned earlier, Napier is technically off the bench, but UConn often plays a
three-guard alignment for much of the game.
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| AP |
If UConn's not very deep, Kentucky has the depth equivalent of a small puddle. Freshman guard Doron Lamb (pictured) provides a nice scoring boost off the
pine, shooting over 48 percent from the arc for the season, but he's about it. Big man Eloy Vargas gets off the bench for a few minutes each game, but this
is basically a six-man team. The good news is Kentucky doesn't foul very much, so the lack of depth usually doesn't compromise the 'Cats in that way.
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| AP |
Jim Calhoun is in his 38th season overall and 25th at UConn. There are few in the game with better résumés (two national titles and four Final Fours) and
there's a lot of sentiment that this may be the best coaching job he's done in Storrs. One of the true giants of the profession, he's delivered this season
despite the initial looming cloud and now the aftermath of NCAA violations stemming from Nate Miles' recruitment that led to a three-game Big East suspension next
season.
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| AP |
John Calipari has quite the track record as well, with over 500 career wins and three Final Fours (although the NCAA will differ on both of those counts
after program transgressions at both UMass and Memphis). Generally regarded more as the nation's best recruiter than for his (still quality) coaching, he may
have flipped that script a bit this season with the job he's done. Taking this thin, inexperienced team to this point is a fantastic coaching job.
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| Harry How/Getty Images |
Calhoun is getting the last laugh at those who wondered about the state of the program entering the season. Could Calhoun, who is 68 years old and has
battled repeated health issues in recent years, retire if the Huskies win it all? In the fall, Calhoun spoke of wanting to make sure the program was in good
shape to hand off to a former player when he was ready to leave. Next season's roster, even without Walker (pictured), appears to be loaded. Also, while it
was early for both teams, UConn crushed Kentucky in Maui, rolling to a 50-29 lead en route to an 84-67 win.
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| AP |
Vibes around the UK program couldn't feel much better. Wildcats fans are blissful with an unexpected Final Four appearance sandwiched between a season in
which they expected to get there and next season, where expectations will be incredibly high again with a killer incoming class. Calipari is hungry for his
first national championship after coming so close on the court with Memphis in 2008.
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While the personnel and the stuff they run differ, these teams are composed fairly similarly. Both feature developing big men, lanky 4s, lots of freshmen in
the backcourt who have emerged since the first meeting, and a talented point guard leading the way. While one or two players likely will emerge during the
game, there are not obvious positional mismatches going into it like there were in UConn-Arizona in the Elite Eight. Can UK handle Kemba better this time?
How will Oriakhi handle more time farther out on the perimeter helping against the Harrellson handoffs? It should be an interesting chess match between two
excellent coaches and a bunch of young, talented players. If you're looking for one statistical showdown, UConn is one of the best offensive rebounding teams
in the nation while Kentucky is a superior team on the defensive glass. This area could be the difference in what should be a tight game.
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In a game this evenly matched, it's never a bad plan to side with the upperclass point guard who's a possible national player of the year. As good as Brandon
Knight is -- and he's very good -- this will be his biggest test of the season. This one will be nothing like the Maui Invitational blowout, but the end
result will be the same. Go with Kemba and Co. Barely.
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