I have never seen Andrew Harrison smile so much. That dude is normally stoic.
Karl now taking pictures with the twitter mirror!
Towns now gets his and he is in a great mood. Celebrating better than anyone!
Booker uses the twitter mirror at the top of the ladder! I am sure we will be seeing that soon.
Booker gets his piece.
Now they come to the nets to cut down the rest of them.
Dominue Hawkins get the last cut and waves it to the crowd
Alex Poythress now cutting his piece of the net! So proud of that young man!
WCS with a big applause as he gets his piece.
Weird that they get higher than that to dunk the ball haha
His brother is the same haha
I would say Aaron Harrison may be afraid of heights. lol
The players are celebrating with family and there is a massive crowd of Big Blue faithful around them.
They are now headed over to cut the nets.
Ashley Judd getting wild in the crowd!
Andrew Harrison takes the mic, "we are going to get two more next weekend, lets go!"
Coach Cal, "give Notre Dame a hand, they are a great basketball team." "He then thanks the parents of the players."
The Harrisons are without the doubt the ones that you go to late in the game. Their greatest strength isnt anything you can put into stats....its that they are winners.
Towns scored 25 points tonight to lead the Cats!
UK is now in its 4th Final Four in 5 years.
That was one of the best games I have seen in this tournament. ND made UK earn everything they got.
The reporters are asking the players about Wisconsin...why?
The Cats are celebrating and getting wild on the court!
Coach Cal, "we have the will to win"
Coach Cal, "we didnt play very well, ND played really well."
OMG!!! WCS and the defense of Lyles and Harrison defend the 3 and Grant airballs it!
2nd Half, Finished: Grant 3 NO GOOD!!! UK WINS!!!!!!
2nd Half, 6.0: Ice cold free throw shooter, UK hits both! 68-66
2nd Half, 6.0: Andrew Harrison takes it to the rack and gets fouled, will go to the line for 2!
2nd Half, 33.6: Here we go!
2nd Half, 33.6: Aaron Harrison has to be option number 1!
2nd Half, 33.6: Mike Brey calls a timeout.
2nd Half, 33.6: The shot clock is turned off and they will have a chance to win this at the buzzer!!!!
2nd Half, 34.0: Turnover!!!!!!!!!
2nd Half, 34.1: UK has to make this stop.
2nd Half, 34.1: 1 second on the shot clock.
2nd Half, 34.1: still waiting....
2nd Half, 34.1: The refs say....
2nd Half, 34.1: The refs will check the monitor on possession and shot clock.
2nd Half, 34.1: WCS with a HUGE block up top!!!!
2nd Half, 1:10: Towns with a basket!!!!66-66
2nd Half, 1:18: Vesturia fouls Ulis, next will put UK on the line.
2nd Half, 1:23: Grant with a miss
2nd Half, 1:53: This is getting crazy!!
2nd Half, 1:53: Brey calls a timeout because they almost got hit with a barcourt time limit.
2nd Half, 1:59: Harrison steps on the baseline and turns it over.
2nd Half, 2:24: That 3 was so far out I couldnt believe he took it. Cant deny Grant's big shot abilities.
2nd Half, 2:24: Timeout
2nd Half, 2:33: Grant with an NBA 3 to put the Irish back on top. 66-64
2nd Half, 3:05: UK takes the lead for the first time in a long time
2nd Half, 3:05: Mike Brey calls a timeout.
2nd Half, 3:10: AARON HARRISON!!!!!!!! FOR #!!!!!! 64-63 UK
2nd Half, 3:45: Cannaughton hits 1-2
2nd Half, 3:45: Cal is going to play offense/defense with Towns to try to keep him from fouling out.
2nd Half, 3:45: This is a very big 3 and a half minutes left...we are going to see what these teams are really made of....I want to say, watch out for Aaron Harrison...he's a big play maker in the clutch.
2nd Half, 3:45: Lyles gets called for the foul...Cannaughton will go to the line for a 1-and-1 after this break.
2nd Half, 4:08: Towns knocks down the free throw. 62-61
2nd Half, 4:08: TOWNS WITH A BASKET AND A FOUL!!!
2nd Half, 4:28: Grant hits 1-2, 62-58
2nd Half, 4:28: The refs say its only 2 free throws now.
2nd Half, 4:28: Grant gets Johnson in the air and he will now shoot 3 free throws.
2nd Half, 4:38: Ulis called for the foul on Jackson.
2nd Half, 5:05: Aa. Harrison gets free and dunks it home! 61-58
2nd Half, 5:22: Auguste misses the free throw
2nd Half, 5:22: We are at a timeout and Auguste will go to the line for 1 after the break.
2nd Half, 5:22: Auguste with a layup and a foul on Towns. That is 4 for Towns. 61-56
2nd Half, 5:53: Ulis for THREE!!! 59-56
2nd Half, 6:13: UK's defense is now the problem, they need to step up.
2nd Half, 6:13: Coach Cal calls a timeout and is going to try to call his team down.
2nd Half, 6:13: Vesturia steps into a 3 and nails it. UK now down 59-53.
2nd Half, 6:47: Auguste with a gift of a loose ball for a layup. 56-53
2nd Half, 7:20: Towns again, now with 20 points. 54-53
2nd Half, 7:39: Vesturia with a reverse layup against Lyles. 54-51
2nd Half, 8:07: Towns goes right at it. 52-51
2nd Half, 8:13: There has been many times this season that UK has done there most damage in the last 8 minutes...lets see if it happens here.
2nd Half, 8:13: Kentucky is looking poised and continues to push its game plan, Grant for ND is looking tired, and its makes since, he hasn't come out of a game yet this tournament.
2nd Half, 8:13: There is a timeout on the floor.
2nd Half, 8:20: Jackson with a circus layup. 52-49
2nd Half, 8:37: ND is looking winded.
2nd Half, 8:43: UK takes control and An. Harrison pushes it and draws the foul. Hits 1-2 50-49
2nd Half, 8:54: UK almost gets a TO, now 11 on the shot clock.
2nd Half, 9:08: UK now has 8 blocks tonight.
2nd Half, 9:08: Problem with the shot clock. Refs sorting things out.
2nd Half, 9:17: Lyles with a huge block!!!
2nd Half, 9:47: Lyles gets the board and gets the and-1!! Misses the free throw. 50-48
2nd Half, 9:48: Auguste gets called for the foul and thats his 3rd and Dakari will go to the line for 2. Misses both
2nd Half, 10:06: Vesturia is at the line for 2 after drawing a foul. Hits both, 50-46
2nd Half, 10:24: Harrison to WCS for a BIG lob! and now the Cats are pressing.
2nd Half, 11:15: This break feels like its been 20 minutes long!
2nd Half, 11:15: Pressure is for sure building on the Cats right now.
2nd Half, 11:15: ND continues to backdoor UK on the offensive end.
2nd Half, 11:15: Towns is going to have to be on the floor for UK to win this game. He is their only offense at this point.
2nd Half, 11:15: Towns gets called for a foul fighting for position. Under 12 timeout. Towns now with 3 fouls.
2nd Half, 12:22: Auguste with an up and under. 16 points now for him. 48-44
2nd Half, 12:54: Towns again with a big boy move. 46-44 ND
2nd Half, 13:15: Aaron Harrison gets taken out and knocks his head on the floor. Everyone is ok. UK ball.
2nd Half, 13:40: They have to eventually cool down. Kentucky cant let them continue at this blistering pace.
2nd Half, 13:40: We are at another timeout break. ND is shooting 52% from the field which is crazy high and hasnt turned the ball over in 15 minutes. Can they continue playing this high the whole game?
2nd Half, 13:40: Auguste gets the board but Cauley-Stein comes hard across the lane and blocks it!!!
2nd Half, 14:05: Lyles misses a jumper.
2nd Half, 14:24: Its going to be big how the Cats come out of the timeout.
2nd Half, 14:24: Notre Dame is looking good so far this half. Kentucky players are looking a little shaken. They need to pull this back together.
2nd Half, 14:24: Cannaughton with a big drive and flushed it hard. Cal with a timeout. 46-42
2nd Half, 15:04: Booker with an open jumper but Vesturia gets wide open for a 3 and knocks it down. 44-42 ND
2nd Half, 15:30: Auguste with another huge follow on the boards. 41-40 ND.
2nd Half, 16:00: Vesturia takes it to the rack. 40-39
2nd Half, 16:17: Towns with another strong move...he is too much for the defense. 40-37
2nd Half, 16:46: Auguste with a shot clock beater at the rim. 38-37
2nd Half, 17:22: Auguste backs off Towns and he walks. 8th turnover of the game for the Cats.
2nd Half, 17:38: Grant hits them both. 38-35
2nd Half, 17:38: Grant takes it to the rack and gets a foul from WCS. Will go to the line for 2.
2nd Half, 18:07: Towns with another big move and scores again 38-33
2nd Half, 18:50: Like i mentioned with outside shooting, Booker with a big 3 up top! 36-33 UK
2nd Half, 19:07: Auguste gets a wide open lane and dunks it hard. 33-33
2nd Half, 19:48: Towns comes right in and gets a bucket. 33-31 UK
Halftime: ND is shooting at a high clip, I wonder if UK is going to be able to fix that.
Halftime: On offense, I think you will see the Cats continue to push the ball inside but also take more 3's to try to open up the floor a little bit.
Halftime: I think we will see a different look on screens out front and I think Cal will slow down the pace a little bit. ND is getting too many looks because of the pace and not because of good offensive movements.
Halftime: We are only a few minutes from returning to the action so lets get ready for it. What adjustments do you think Cal made at halftime?
Halftime: We are going to take a quick break here. Stretch your legs and get ready for what is going to be a crazy second half.
Halftime: Lyles is so skilled and he showed that in the first half, being the best overall player on the Cats side of the ball.
Halftime: The best coaching decision so far is when Cal took Lyles and put him down low with his back to the basket.
Halftime: The one thing that we are seeing is that Notre Dame is being very physical as well. They are trying to take some of the UK players out of the game.
Halftime: Watching this game, I feel like Towns will need to be a presence and stay out of foul trouble in the second half. UK will also need to continue to chase the Irish off the 3-point line but find a way to stop them before the rim, resulting in mid range shots.
Halftime: If you are a UK fan, you are happy with going into halftime tied. ND took total advantage of what was given to them and couldnt have played much better. Hitting several highly contested shots and getting layups off break downs that UK normally doesnt give up.
Halftime: UK has only trailed at halftime 5 times all year, and the last second play from Lyles didnt let it happen today. The last time it happened was in early February.
Halftime: Coach Cal "We have missed about 8 one footers, turned over the ball on silly plays, we will be fine."
1st Half, .7: Lyles gathers a board and puts it back off an Andrew Harrison miss. 31-31
1st Half, 25.4: UK trying to push the ball out on the break and turns it over. Colson gets the ball and puts up the shot and gets fouled. Hits the free throw. 31-29 ND
1st Half, 47.2: A lot of interior passing leads to a DUNK by WCS!! 29-28 UK
1st Half, 1:05: Lyles trying to post up, misses but gets the ball back.
1st Half, 1:34: Grant is working hard out there and gets a foul on the drive against Lyles. Hits both from the line. 28-27 ND
1st Half, 1:53: This is when UK does its damage, like Muhammad Ali at the end of the round. Andrew Harrison takes it hard to the lane and gets fouled. Hits both free throws. 27-26 UK
1st Half, 2:22: LYLES with a big boy move and gets an and-1, knocks down the free throw. 26-25. He is bringing it this game.
1st Half, 2:42: Colson with a up and under reverse layup to score. 26-22. They are on a 7-1 run.
1st Half, 3:10: Aaron Harrison makes one of two, 24-22 ND
1st Half, 3:10: Towns has 2 fouls or he would be in their to pound the ball into. Dakari needs to be in the game at this point, he is the best offensive player down low not named Towns and is playing good defense.
1st Half, 3:10: If UK plans to win this game, we are going to need to see more effort than we are getting thus far from some of the players.
1st Half, 3:10: Let me say this, WCS needs to bring more effort. He has a 7 inch height advantage on his defender and he isnt scoring. We know that he is not a great offensive threat but effort would put points on the board between rebounds and putbacks.
1st Half, 3:10: Aa. Harrison draws a foul on Cannaughton and will go to the line after the break.
1st Half, 3:44: Ulis tries to get a layup and misses. Cannaughton pulls down his 6th board.
1st Half, 4:26: Grant with another NBA like shot and gets a friendly roll. 24-21 ND
1st Half, 4:45: They call Towns on an offensive foul. He now has 2 fouls.
1st Half, 5:05: Grant scores and a foul and hits the free throw. 22-21 ND
1st Half, 5:10: Lyles missses one at point blank
1st Half, 6:04: Dakari with another BLOCK!
1st Half, 6:11: Now 4 blocks for UK
1st Half, 6:11: Another block by UK and I think it was by Johnson!
1st Half, 6:33: Towns hits both free throws to make it 21-19
1st Half, 6:33: They are saying that Auguste only has two fouls, I thought he now had 3, but they must have accessed one of the earlier ones on another player. Sorry about the confusion.
1st Half, 6:33: You could almost say that UK's gameplan is to foul out Auguste, they are going at him hard every time. If he goes out, the ND squad gets even smaller, if you can believe that.
1st Half, 6:33: Towns gets it deep again and another foul. The Irish fans do not like it. He will be going to the line after the TV timeout.
1st Half, 7:05: With the shot clock at 1, Auguste gets a bad miss off the board and dunks it! 19-19
1st Half, 7:46: When Kentucky finds its guys that its going to stick with and they figure out the ND offensive strategy, it could get tough for them.
1st Half, 7:46: UK is taking away the perimeter game of the Irish but ND is taking advantage with back cuts and finishing well at the rim against the taller UK players.
1st Half, 7:46: Lyles gets a huge board after his own miss and calls a timeout before the tie-up is called.
1st Half, 8:30: Towns makes a move and puts it in, he is dominating. 19-17 UK
1st Half, 9:01: UK getting great looks but not hitting them so far.
1st Half, 9:32: Towns just gets Auguste to commit his 2nd foul. Towns hits the and-1! all tied up!
1st Half, 9:55: Vesturia to Auguste down the floor and knocks it down from close. 17-14 ND.
1st Half, 10:46: UK turned it over with high ball pressure from the opposing guards.
1st Half, 11:06: Vesturia goes back door for a layup . They are attacking the rim hard.
1st Half, 11:35: Andrew Harrison gets fouled by Colson going to the rim, hits both 14-13 UK.
1st Half, 11:45: Grant gets his first bucket of the game with a tough mid-range jumper. 13-12 ND
1st Half, 11:55: Coach Cal looks calm on the sideline. He is talking to his guys about rebounding and switches on screens.
1st Half, 11:55: I fully expect there to an entire top 10 highlights to come from this game alone. WCS will for sure dunk on someone tonight.
1st Half, 11:55: Its very obvious that Cal has no interest in shooting anything outside of 10 feet unless it is wide open. They are just shoving the ball down the throats of the defense.
1st Half, 11:55: At the under 12 timeout. ND has now went to the zone on defense.
1st Half, 12:!4: Ulis forces a steal, Towns makes an outlet pass to Booker for a breakaway layup. 12-11 UK.
1st Half, 12:53: Cannaughton with Harrison all in his face knocks down a 3. 11-10 ND
1st Half, 13:26: WCS very active on the inside and gets the offensive board and scores. 10-8 UK
1st Half, 13:59: UK forces the turnover again.
1st Half, 14:25: MARCUS LEE with a MASSIVE put back dunk!!! WOW! 8-8
1st Half, 15:00: ND takes it at Johnson again and scores. They are taking advantage of WCS being on the bench.
1st Half, 15:15: Booker for 3!! 6-6
1st Half, 15:41: Vesturia goes right at Johnson and scores on a layup. 6-3
1st Half, 15:53: Notre Dame is going to rely on Connaughton much more than I thought in the paint. He will be their biggest rebounder and pressence on the inside. UK can not let that happen with their extreme size differential.
1st Half, 15:53: Kentucky is trying to put the ball into the post every play which is smart but havent really established their offense yet this game. They have played great defense so far though.
1st Half, 15:53: We are at a timeout. These teams are playing at a fast pace right now and it showing with some sloppy play here in the beginning.
1st Half, 16:04: Dakari with a HUGE block!!
1st Half, 16:23: Towns gets Auguste to foul and goes to the line for 2. Hits 1-2. 4-3 ND
1st Half, 16:35: Auguste gets the rebound off a Towns block and puts it in. 4-2
1st Half, 17:05: Irish force a shot clock violation.
1st Half, 17:42: A sloppy back and forth and Connaughton turns up with a layup. 2-2
1st Half, 18:23: Towns has picked up his first foul going for an offensive rebound.
1st Half, 18:50: UK forces another TO.
1st Half, 19:32: UK forces a turnover on the first defensive play
1st Half, 19:52: First play of the game, Towns to Lyles for a DUNK!!! 2-0
1st Half, 20:00: and the tip off goes to UK.
and here we go!
Vasturia, Grant, Jackson, Auguste, Connaughton are your starters for ND.
The Fighting Irish only play 7 guys and 5 of those see the majoirty of the minutes. They love their starting lineup so much that they all play over 34 minutes per game...that A LOT.
Towns had a bad game last time out against WVU but we will look for him to have a big game tonight against the smaller opponenet. Another key player for this game is Devin Booker...if he is able to hit from the perimeter he will neutralize the 3-point threat of ND.
Your starting lineup for the Cats looks familiar, Aa. Harrison, An. Harrison, Lyles, Towns and Cauley-Stein.
If you are ready to go, we are ready here as we are only a few minutes away from tip-off.
If the Cats win tonight it will mark the 4th time in 5 years they have made it to the promise land. That's a ridiculous mark.
The spread has fluctuated around 11 points since the line opened. Let me be the first to say, they are pretty good at predicting stuff.
My prediction for tonights score will be 74-64 with the Wildcats on top.
One of the first things I will be looking for tonight is if ND will play any kind of zone or sagging defense. They have not done it all year, even against Duke with Jahlil Okafor and they have been successful. I dont look for them to do it unless Kentucky starts to open up a big gap in the score.
As for the free throw line, UK has to make sure they are staying planted on the drives by ND and not getting in the air and allowing Notre Dame to live at the free throw line.
The Wildcats will look to limit the total amount of made three pointers for the Irish, who will look to space the floor and find open perimeter shots.
Notre Dame will need to fight to keep the Cats off the boards as much as possible. They can not give up easy baskets.
As i posted earlier, the keys to tonights game will be rebounding margin, 3-point disparity and the free-throw line.
The one thing I have loved seeing from the Wildcats is that they are always smiling, laughing and having fun. They dont look tense or stressed...they look loose and relaxed, which is when they are at their best.
We are only 10 minutes away from this matchup and thr crowd is looking VERY blue at this point.
The announcers for tonights game will be Brian Anderson, Chris Webber and Len Elmore...Marv Albert is sick.
The refs for tonights game will be Joe Derosa, David Hall and Chris Rastatter
Quick Update: The Wisconsin - Arizona game is practically over, the starters are being subbed and Wisconsin will be moving on behind Sam Dekker who looked like an NBA All-Star tonight.
If this game wasnt going to be big enough anyways, we have Lebron James and Nerlens Noel in the crowd tonight. Nothing like having the "King" in the building.
When the Cats took the floor tonight for the first time to warm-up they came in with a big reception. Something that I am sure they have come accustomed to.
For those of you that are concerned about the finger of Aaron Harrison...do not be concerned. He is comepletely fine and ready to go. There was even a video posted of their practice yesterday where he looked smooth from his spot on the wing.
As for the game we are all worried about, UK - ND will be tipped off in about 30 minutes.
I'll keep you all updated on the score as it goes down into the final minutes.
We are now watching the end of the Wisconsin - Arizona game and it looks like Wisky might pull this one out. They are up 74-64 at the moment.
Hello everyone! Are we ready for this big game??
Tip-off is set for 8:49 pm EST at Quicken Loans Arena. We will start our coverage on this LIVE around 7:50 EST.
Lastly, the Wildcats will need to keep the Fighting Irish off the free throw line. ND has punished many teams from the line and if they get there early and often on Saturday night it could spell disaster for the Cats.
UK needs to hold ND to less than 10 threes for the game. If they hit more than that it could mean they are spreading out the Cats and the Notre Dame offense is rolling.
Notre Dame will need to control the Wildcat’ dominance on the boards. There is no doubt that Kentucky will win the battle of the boards but the Irish will need to control the amount of offensive boards that Cats pull down.
Coming into this game there are a few keys that you should look for that will determine who may come out on top.
Mike Brey did go on to say that he felt his team was better tested to go into this game than UK due to his conference schedule. ACC is definitely the better conference over the SEC but to say that Kentucky isn’t as tested could be underestimating the Cats. They played the likes of UNC, Louisville, UCLA, Kansas, Arkansas twice, and WVU who all won at least one game in this tournament. Coach Calipari has also put the Cats in domes for games as well this year to prepare his team to play in the bigger atmospheres.
All the talk about beating Kentucky did not work to the advantage of West Virginia but Notre Dame was much different in its pre-game talks than the Mountaineers. They were confident but very polite and respectful towards the Wildcat program.
“You look back in history, we’ve been able to do it,” senior forward Pat Connaughton commented. “Something that I and this team have preached on the whole year is that we’ve kind of been writing our own history, doing things the Notre Dame basketball program hasn’t done in a long time, or ever. So as much as you look back, you’ve got to still be in the present time and know that you’re going at this, its completely different.”
“We have a lot of confidence, we feel they haven’t played an offensive team like us. Just go out there and play our game i think we’ll be able to get a win.” touted Grant during his pre-game interviews.
On the opposite hand, Notre Dame could get into the lane and find great looks for players on the wings and light it up from 3-point range. If Grant and Connaughton get going they could be a real threat. They are both elite from the perimeter and Grant is an All-American mostly for this abilities to score and distribute the ball.
It will comical to watch the teams lineup for the tip-off because if there is any team that is the opposite on the size scale from ND it is UK. Kentucky will start 6”6”, 6’6”, 6’10”, 7’0”, and 7’0”. It will be interesting to watch Kentucky’s dominating defense try to keep up with the smaller quicker players. If they are able to chase the Irish off the perimeter and push them into the bigs in the lane this game could end up as ugly as the West Virginia matchup.
The Fighting Irish start 4 players that are 6’5” or shorter with 1 starter at 6’10”. They use the four guard lineup to spread the floor and drive the ball finding points in the paint or kick-outs for perimeter shots. It causes matchup problems for other teams because of the mis-matches that it creates. It also makes Notre Dame on of the worst rebounding teams in the country.
The great battle between the nations top defense on one end and one of the best offenses on the other could be one for the ages. The one thing that most people have not been paying attention to is that Kentucky has a top 10 offense as well.
West Virginia and Notre Dame will pose very different challenges for the Cats. The Mountaineers were known all season for their press defense that forced the most turnovers in the country. Unfortunately for them, it seemed like child’s play for UK to break down. As for Notre Dame, they are not known for their defense but their offense, which ranks in the top 5 in the country.
Jerian Grant and the rest of the ND team came out of the locker rooms after their close win against Wichita State on Thursday night to a very intimidating scene. Kentucky was absolutely crushing West Virginia. Making them look like a jv squad playing a seasoned varsity squad. Witnessing the 39 point obliteration of the Mountaineers, the Irish had to have some thought of fear knowing that the wrecking ball that is Kentucky is swinging their way next.
The Fighting Irish know the monumental challenge ahead of them but they seem calmed by the fact that they are “America’s Team”, according to Irish head coach Mike Brey. Hoping that they have the support of millions as they take the floor trying to advance to the Final Four.
Now the Wildcats are only 3 games away from possibly the most prolific single season ever in the history of college basketball. The Indiana Hoosiers were the last team to go undefeated and that was 39 years ago. Before them was the 1974 UCLA Bruins who lost to….Notre Dame, after an 88-game win steak. That is the definition of giant killer.
With every game that Kentucky plays the pressure gets heavier and heavier. At this point you would expect players to start showing signs of exhaustion from all the madness that surrounds their every move. Contrary to what you would believe, they seem as loose and joyful as they were at the beginning of the year as they did the Ice Bucket Challenge on a beach in the Bahamas.
Leaving Duke, North Carolina, Louisville, Wichita State and Butler in their wake. There is no doubt that UK will be the biggest giant that they have faced this year. The challenge hasn’t fazed ND though, as they are poised and confident to give the Cats their biggest challenge of the post-season.
The scariest matchup thus far is due to the reputation that the Fighting Irish have built up over the last 10 games as they have put away opponents with much larger names and reputations.
CLEVELAND, Ohio — For the first time so far this tournament, Kentucky may have a match that could challenge them. Notre Dame is in town and they are red hot after winning the rigid ACC Tournament and now its first 3 games of the NCAA Tournament.