The Connecticut Huskies and the Kentucky Wildcats completed the 2014 NCAA Tournament Final Four cast after winning against their respective rivals on Sunday.
The Huskies erased a nine-point deficit in the second half and escaped with hard-earned 60-54 win over the Michigan State Spartans in their Elite Eight showdown on Sunday at the Madison Square Garden in New York.
Shabazz Napier played the hero's role for the Huskies as the senior guard finished with 25 points on top of six rebounds and four assists, while also knocking down three crucial free throws that sealed UConn's victory.
"His will to win -- you could just see it," said Spartans senior guard Garry Harris on Napier. "He wasn't going to let his team lose."
With the win, the Huskies, who missed last year's tournament due to academic sanctions, became the first No. 7 seed to reach the Final Four since the NCAA tournament became a 64-team competition in 1985.
Connecticut will face the No. 1 overall seed Florida Gators in the national semifinals on Saturday, and first-year coach Kevin Ollie is confident that they can pull off another upset in the Final Four.
"We're going to be well prepared, because I know about these guys' heart," Ollie said. "That's what got us through: It was a heart of a champion, heart of a lion."
Meanwhile, the Kentucky Wildcats also booked a spot to the Final Four after scoring a dramatic 75-72 win over the Michigan Wolverines at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Freshman guard Aaron Harrison drained a cold-blooded three-pointer from NBA distance with only 2.3 seconds left in the game to give the Wildcats a trip to the national semis.
Harrison in the 32 minutes of the match, but waxed hot down the stretch, scoring all of his 12 points in the final eight minutes of the match off four three-point conversions.
"I hit a couple before that, so coach said to get the shot we were looking for," Harrison said. "They put it in my hands and I wanted to deliver for them out there."
With the win, the eighth-seeded Wildcats arranged a Final Four showdown with the Wisconsin Badgers, who eliminated top-seeded Arizona on Saturday.
The Final Four will be on Saturday, April 5, at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
