| #2 | Kansas (32-6) | 69 |
| #1 | Kentucky (37-2) | 71 |
Though collectively taking part in 18 national championship games, Kentucky and Kansas have never played each other in the final. In fact, they’ve only met in the NCAA tournament twice, splitting second-round games in 1999 and 2007. Wildcats coach John Calipari is a bit more familiar with Kansas, however. Bill Self and the Jayhawks bested his Memphis Tigers in the 2008 championship game.
As the two schools with the most wins in NCAA history tipped off, it was all Kansas in the early going. Just five minutes into the game, the Jayhawks held a 17-7 edge. Kentucky rallied and cut the Jayhawks lead to 33-30 on a Darius Miller three-pointer, but Kansas responded with a 15-5 run to finish out the first half. The Jayhawks claimed a 48-35 advantage at the break.
The Wildcats quickly righted the ship in the second half and began chipping away at the deficit. Kentucky captured its first lead when a three-pointer by Doron Lamb put his team ahead 56-54 with just under eight minutes remaining in the game. With 18 seconds left and the score tied at 69, Kentucky controlled the ball. Terrence Jones converted a jump shot from the free throw line with just two seconds on the clock. He then secured a 71-69 Wildcats victory by blocking Kevin Young’s shot as time expired.
Anthony Davis paced the Wildcats with 18 points, nine rebounds and two blocks. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist added a double-double with 11 points and 10 boards. Thomas Robinson submitted a 17-point, 17-rebound effort for the Jayhawks.
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