INDIANAPOLIS — The shot came from NBA range, and if things play out as expected, Aaron Harrison and a lot of those Kentucky kids will be playing in that league soon enough.
First, they’re heading to the Final Four — a trip to Big D courtesy of Harrison’s unforgettable big shot.
The 6-foot-6 forward made a 3-pointer from about 24 feet with 2.3 seconds left Sunday to lift the Wildcats and all those freshmen to a 75-72 win over Michigan and the program’s 16th trip to the Final Four.
He backpedaled slowly, almost expressionless, after ball hit twine. Teammates Dakari Johnson and Julius Randle chased him down.
“Making that shot and seeing my teammates so happy and turning toward me, it’s the best feeling in the world,” Harrison said.
Michigan’s Nik Stauskas missed a desperation heave at the buzzer and then, it was Harrison’s turn on the bottom of a dog pile. Make that a puppy pile. Eighth-seeded Kentucky is the first all-freshman starting lineup to make the Final Four since the Fab Five at Michigan in 1992.
The Wildcats (28-10) will play Wisconsin next Saturday outside of Dallas at AT&T Stadium.
“They made a great shot,” said Stauskas, who led the second-seeded Wolverines with 24 points. “I thought we did a pretty good job contesting it. It’s part of basketball.”
The Wolverines (28-9) ended their season one win shy of a second straight Final Four.
What a ride this has been for this group of Wildcats, an all-new collection of McDonald’s All-Americans who were touted as the team that could go 40-0, then dismissed out of hand when the bad losses and bad basketball piled up in January and February.
Coach John Calipari got things turned around by March, and for the second straight game in the Midwest Regional, Harrison made the shot that gave the Wildcats the lead for good. On Friday, he made the key 3 in Kentucky’s 74-69 win over Louisville. Kentucky is the first team to knock the defending champion and runner-up out of the same tournament.