Shabazz Napier the X-factor in UConn win
UConn guard Shabazz Napier (13) and UK guard Aaron Harrison (2) scramble for the ball during the NCAA Championship vs. UConn at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Tx., on Monday, April 7, 2014. Photo by Emily Wuetcher
April 8, 2014
By Nick Gray | Basketball beat writer
ARLINGTON, Texas — UConn senior guard Shabazz Napier played up to his American Athletic Conference Player of the Year moniker on Monday.
Napier scored 22 points, including four 3-pointers, and he grabbed six rebounds as the lead man in the Huskies’ National Championship victory.
His shiftiness offset his 5-inch height difference against UK guards. He created space for two long 3-pointers in the second half as the shot clock ticked toward zero.
“He has a swagger about him, and he deserves it,” UK head coach John Calipari said. “He did enough for them to win the game.”
Napier also bothered UK’s guards on defense. UConn used man-to-man combined with zone to neutralize the Cats’ freshmen.
“If you want to drive the lane, you have to do it through us,” UConn junior guard Ryan Boatright said.
UK struggled to do so, turning the ball over 13 times in the process. Freshmen guards Aaron and Andrew Harrison were limited to a combined 15 points on 6-of-16 shooting from the field.
“We jogged (on offense),” Calipari said. “Let somebody else bring it up and when you can catch it (in the frontcourt), now your size matters.”
