Sunday, April 6, 2014

Dream-crushing 'Cats

Aaron Harrison just likes to win. Most of us like it but this freshman is getting good at it.

As he lined up a three to give his Wildcats the lead with only seconds left in Saturday's second national semifinal, we should've know it was going down.

"He's got that clutch gene," Wisconsin's Sam Dekker said.

So does that mean you can clone him? Harrison does have a twin brother but his unflappable ability to stick a dagger in his opponent this tournament has been unmatched.

If you've lost count, this is the bill on Harrison in the final minute of his last three games: go-ahead three with 39 seconds left vs. Louisville, go-ahead three with 2.6 seconds to go vs. Michigan and tonight, go-ahead three with 5.7 seconds on the clock to do in Wisconsin.

Somewhere Robert Horry is even a bit awestruck. 

March Madness is ripe for heartbreak and the 'Cats, propelled by Harrison, have doled out a heaping helping.

They've been the underdog in their last four games against some of college basketball's titans. Just take a moment and appreciate who they've beaten: No 1 seed and 35-0 Wichita State, the defending national champion Louisville, the defending runner up Michigan and a very balanced, formidable Wisconsin squad.

Harrison is a 19-year-old Texan playing the biggest games of his life in his home state. "JerryWorld" as AT&T stadium has become known, is a massive, behemoth of a place. Fans sitting in the upper reaches of the stadium had two views of Harrison's cold-blooded shot - the life-size one on the enormous HD video screen and the ant-like one of the proceedings taking place on the court.

No stage is too big for Harrison though who has found that special variable that fuels a team's run in March.

When you look back at past champions, there's always that one player you associate with a champion's run. For Kentucky, it was Anthony Davis in 2012, Jeff Sheppard in 1998 and Tony Delk in 1996. Connecticut, the Wildcats' opponent Monday night, has a title tradition too - led by Rip Hamilton in 1999, Emeka Okafor in 2004 and Kemba Walker in 2011.

Those championship teams make it difficult to pick just one "defining" player. The '99 Huskies also had Khalid El-Amin and the '04 version the scoring prowess of Ben Gordon. Kentucky's 2012 team was full of phenomenal underclassmen like Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Doron Lamb and Terrence Jones, the '96 team boasted Ron Mercer and Antoine Walker too.

You don't win a title solely on one guy's greatness.

This year, Shabazz Napier is Connecticut's stud but DeAndre Daniels has been the X-factor in this tournament. Julius Randle is arguably Kentucky's best - and most pro-ready - player on the floor. However, Harrison, who's had his ups and downs this season and tournament, has been the most clutch.

Intangibles are by nature an unquantifiable quality. Harrison has it in spades right now, which makes betting against this Kentucky team's "One Shining Moment" a difficult prospect.

No comments:

Post a Comment