Connecticut wins national championship: UConn beats Kentucky for NCAA title

A year ago the Connecticut Huskies weren’t eligible for the NCAA Tournament because of academic issues.

Today, they’re national champions.

UConn beat Kentucky 60-54 in the NCAA National Championship game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Monday night.

Most Outstanding Player Shabazz Napier finished with 22 points, six rebounds and three assists while teammate Ryan Boatright scored 14 points and pulled down four rebounds.

James Young of Kentucky scored 20 points in a losing effort, including a highlight-reel dunk that will be replayed for decades.

Seventh-seeded Connecticut and eighth-seeded Kentucky were the highest combined seeds to ever play in a title game. The result is a title for second-year UConn coach Kevin Ollie.

Ollie’s UConn ties run deep, as he was a four-year player that made three NCAA tournaments himself. During Ollie's last two seasons, when he served as a team captain while rooming with Ray Allen and capturing two Big East regular-season championships, and reaching the NCAA Sweet 16 and Elite Eight, respectively.

"This is my dream job. I was made for this job," Ollie told media on the day he was hired in September 2012. "UConn is a special, special place and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else but right here."

For Ollie, it appears dreams can come true. Perhaps more than once.