Kentucky rides a 10 game winning streak into Saturday's Final Four match up against Connecticut. The game will be a rematch as both teams met earlier this season in the Maui Invitational. The Huskies won that game 84-67 and that tournament was junior guard Kemba Walker's coming out party.
Much has changed for the Wildcats since that game. Freshman point guard Brandon Knight played like a freshman in that earlier meeting scoring just six points on 3-15 shooting. He has looked like a season pro throughout the SEC Conference Tournament and the NCAA Tournament particularly at crunch time. Knight scored the game winning basket in Kentucky's second round win over Princeton. Knight scored a game high 30 points in the Wildcat's third round contest against West Virginia and hit a jump shot with just 5.4 seconds remaining to lift Kentucky over Ohio State.
Knight continued his strong play against North Carolina stuffing the stat sheet with 22 points, seven rebounds, and four assists while lifting his club to the Final Four.
Now the challenge is slowing down Kemba Walker who had 29 points and six assists in that earlier meeting. Throughout their run, Kentucky has been solid defensively but perhaps faces its biggest challenge in Walker. It may not come down to Knight needing to outscore Walker but he along with DeAndre Liggins needs to make Walker work hard for every shot he takes.
To this point in the tournament, Kentucky has outworked each opponent behind the play of Knight and Josh Harrellson. Saturday's match up with Connecticut pits two storied programs and two marquee coaches in what should be one entertaining match up to watch.
For more on this game, Kentucky fans should visit A Sea Of Blue and UConn fans should head to The UConn Blog. More 2011 March Madness resources: Visit our NCAA Tournament hub for up-to-date news and information … updated printable NCAA Tournament bracket. Check the full NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 schedule, and see predictions and previews for each game.