HOUSTON – The first shot Butler star guard Shelvin Mack launched Monday night was rudely swatted away by Connecticut freshman Jeremy Lamb. A few seconds later, Huskies star guard Kemba Walker suffered a similarly embarrassing moment, his shot clanging against the side of the backboard.
From the very beginning, there was nothing going to be pretty or easy about winning this NCAA championship game. College basketball’s beauty had gone to the dogs, and they couldn’t have been happier about it.
As Mack had said upon reaching this Final Four last week, “It’s a physical game. That’s what the NCAA tournament is all about. You wouldn’t want it any other way.”
But by the time UConn had won 53-41 to hand 68-year-old Jim Calhoun his third national championship in 13 seasons – the fifth men’s coach with three – Butler would have wanted it to end any other way.
Unlike last season’s two-point loss to Duke in the title game, this one wasn’t close from the moment the Huskies grabbed the lead for good at 26-25 roughly four minutes into the second half.