Kentucky hangs on to beat Notre Dame 68-66, going to Final Four
Undefeated Kentucky advanced Saturday to the Final Four of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament for the fourth time in five seasons, defeating third-seeded Notre Dame 68-66 in the Midwest Region final at Cleveland.
The Wildcats are the first men’s Division I team to have a 38-0 record.
Kentucky freshman Karl-Anthony Towns was almost unstoppable in the post, with a season-high 25 points, 17 in the second half.
Fellow freshman Devin Booker chipped in 10 points for the Wildcats.
Zach Auguste sparked the Fighting Irish with 20 points and nine rebounds.
In the first game of the day, Wisconsin coasted past second-seeded Arizona 85-78 in the West region final at Los Angeles.
The game was the first in more than 40 years to pit two teams who played each other in the Elite Eight the prior year.
A few minutes in, Saturday’s contest didn’t look like such a great basketball game. Wisconsin had the faster slow start to grab an early 10-2. But Arizona turned up the defense and took a 33-30 lead at halftime.
After intermission, it was a three-point party for the Badgers, who made 10 of 12 from deep as they pulled away for the seven-point victory.
Frank Kaminsky led the Badgers with 29 points while sizzling Sam Dekker continued his hot scoring with 27 points.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Brandon Ashley topped the Wildcats with 17 points each.
After the game, Kaminsky showed he is a better basketball player than dancer.
The Kentucky-Wisconsin game next Saturday also will be a rematch for the Badgers. In 2014, Wisconsin lost to Kentucky in a national semifinal 74-73.
The other two Final Four teams will be determined Sunday. Louisville and Michigan State play in the East Region final, and Duke and Gonzaga meet in the South Region title game.
