Kentucky's crop of stud freshmen face UNC's veteran core
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The epic has a sequel. One of the most entertaining regular season games in recent years gets its rematch Sunday in Memphis, only with so much more on the line.
A spot in the Final Four, a trip to Glendale, Ariz., a chance for so many players to leave a lasting legacy. Top-seeded North Carolina and No. 2 Kentucky meet again, a showdown some feel could determine this year’s national champion, a matchup featuring several future pros — Kentucky freshmen Malik Monk, De’Aaron Fox and Bam Adebayo, along with North Carolina junior Justin Jackson, are all projected first-round draft picks — between two of the country’s most recognizable and winningest programs, and two Hall of Fame coaches, Roy Williams and John Calipari.
“We came to North Carolina to be in these type of games, to play against the top players in the country,” said Jackson, the ACC Player of the Year. “I don’t think it could be on any better stage.”
If it is anything like the first encounter on Dec. 17, it will go down in NCAA Tournament lore. Kentucky won that game, 103-100, in Las Vegas, a frenetic track meet that left the country buzzing. It was Monk’s coming out party, a dazzling 47point display that set a Kentucky freshman scoring record. Jackson scored 34 points on 17 field-goal attempts, and wasn’t the best player on the floor. The two teams shot a combined 53.5 percent from the field, hit 19-of-35 3-point attempts and committed only 19 turnovers.
The most noteworthy statistic for Kentucky came on the glass. It outrebounded North Carolina, 39-35, the best rebounding team in the country getting beaten on the boards.
“That’s why we won,” said Monk, who will be playing Sunday a fivehour drive from his hometown of Bentonville, Ark.
It would seem North Carolina (30-7) has the emotional edge, the pain of last year’s heartbreaking national championship game loss at the buzzer to Villanova, five seniors who want to go out on top, focused on revenge from the previous encounter. Shortly after that loss, the Tar Heels set up a group text-message chat en- titled “Redemption.” They have waited nearly a calendar year to get back to this point.
“All of us on the team, that was our ultimate goal last year to win the championship. We [were] four seconds away from [going to overtime],” North Carolina senior forward Isaiah Hicks said. “Just to see your dream taken away right in front of you, that’s all the motivation you need. Of course nobody likes to lose, but that one, when you’re right there, all of us, we just need that second chance.”
Meanwhile, this is all new for Kentucky (32-5). Role players Derek Willis and Dominique Hawkins are the only Wildcats to play in the Elite Eight before, and they were littleused reserves when Kentucky reached the Final Four two years ago. The freshmen don’t know that sinking feeling the Tar Heels felt last year, can’t possibly conjure up the same motivation.
“It’s hard to match that,” Monk said. “We can’t let them out-compete us, that’s the biggest key.”
Then again, Kentucky hasn’t looked inexperienced in this run to the Elite Eight, getting past dogged Wichita State, a No. 10 seed in number only, and outclassing thirdseeded UCLA on Friday night behind Fox’s career-high 39 points. It has added grit and stifling defense to its next-level athleticism, holding the Bruins to 15 points below their season average on Sunday, and in this 14-game winning streak, opponents are averaging just 67.2 points per game.
“I don’t think we’re freshmen anymore,” Monk said. “We don’t look at age anymore.”
Kentucky is so confident, so comfortable in its own skin, Fox nearly predicted reaching the national title game, saying, “If things go as planned, we still have three games left.” Neither team seemed tight Saturday, cracking jokes, smiling and enjoying their time in the spotlight.
“It doesn’t get any better than this,” North Carolina point guard
Joel Berry II said.