Final Four 2011 Live Updates: Butler vs. VCU, UConn vs. Kentucky
Only four teams remain in the NCAA tournament and after tonight, the championship game will be set. Butler and VCU kick off the Final Four games Saturday night at 6:09 p.m. ET. UConn and Kentucky are scheduled to face off at 8:49.
VCU, a No. 11 seed, has made an incredible run to the Final Four. The Rams have won five games in a row, including the play-in game against USC and eliminating No. 1 Kansas in the regional finals. The Butler Bulldogs, however, reached their second straight Final Four by knocking out No. 1 Pittsburgh and No. 2 Florida in the elite eight.
Led by Kemba Walker, UConn has won nine games in 19 days en route to the Final Four. John Calipari's Kentucky Wildcats knocked out the top-seeded Ohio State Buckeyes and the No. 2 North Carolina Tar Heels. Check our Final Four blog for live updates!
UConn wins 56-55! The Huskies will play the Butler Bulldogs in the national championship game.
Napier sinks both free throws. UConn is going to win the game 56-52. Two seconds left. Timeout Kentucky.
Liggins misses a long 3-pointer and Napier gets the rebound. Napier is at the free throw line shooting 1-and-1.
Napier lost the ball and gave it up to Kentucky. Timeout Wildcats. 16 seconds left.
Liggins missed the second free throw. Huskies winning 54-52 and they have the ball. 30 seconds left.
Liggins got his defender in the air with a pump fake and drew a foul on Jeremy Lamb. It looked like a 3-point attempt at first, but the replay showed it will be a 2-pointer. Liggins at the free throw line.
DeAndre Liggins made a 3-pointer to cut the lead in half. 54-51 UConn with 56.5 seconds left. Kentucky has the ball.
| @ ESPNAndyKatz : Finally a stoppage of play. They have missed multiple media timeouts. Players look toast. Never seen a Final Four second half move so fast. |
UConn's Shabazz Napier made a ridiculous reverse layup. Huskies up by six with 2:09 left.
Kemba Walker takes the ball straight to the hoop on a fast break to put UConn up by four. Timeout Kentucky. 4:07 left in the game.
Both teams keep exchanging baskets. Kentucky tied the game at 48, but UConn's Oriakhi made a layup to go up by 2.
UConn quickly goes back up by four after Jeremy Lamb's layup. 46-42 Huskies with 8:30 left in the game.
Kentucky's Josh Harrellson has three fouls. UConn takes the 40-39 lead after a pair of free throws. 11:56 left in the game. Timeout on the floor.
Kentucky has nailed three 3-pointers in the second half already. 33-32 UConn.
Darius Miller knocks down another 3-pointer and all of the sudden the Wildcats are only down by four 31-27 UConn.
UConn is winning 31-21 at halftime. Kentucky is 2-for-12 from three-point range. Kemba Walker leads his team in scoring with nine points.
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| @ ESPNAndyKatz : UConn defense is dominating this game so far and the Kentucky guards can't contain UConn's. No one to stop the backline for UK. |
UConn's Roscoe Smith received a pass from Kemba Walker and slammed in a huge dunk. 27-19 Huskies.
Alex Oriakhi is bleeding and is getting treated on the bench. 23-19 Uconn.
Kentucky strikes back with five straight points. But UConn's Alex Oriakhi made a tough layup and got fouled on the play. He appeared to hurt his hip on the fall. Updates to come.
John Calipari called a timeout after UConn's Jamal Coombs-McDaniel layup put the Huskies up 19-12.
Kemba Walker is heating up. The UConn guard nailed a 3-pointer and then drew a foul on a tough layup. Six straight points for Kemba. 17-12 UConn.
UConn already has six turnovers with 10:47 left in the first half. Kentucky winning 12-11.
| @ RobertDEdwards : Holy CRAP. How many Kentucky fans are there at this game? They are SO LOUD on the radio. |
Terrance Jones nailed a 3-pointer and then hit an easy layup to give the Wildcats the 10-8 lead.
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First Posted: 04/02/11 06:40 PM ET Updated: 06/02/11 06:12 AM ET