Tim Sullivan | Aaron Harrison feeling his shot
INDIANAPOLIS – They chased him from one end of the court to the other, leaping, laughing, twin towers of jubilation.
Dakari Johnson and Julius Randle caught up with Aaron Harrison maybe 50 feet from where he had launched his shot, and they embraced their fellow Kentucky freshman like Army buddies at an armistice.
For the second time in three days, Harrison had hit a last-minute, long-range shot to give the Wildcats a lead they would not relinquish, this time with less than three seconds remaining, this time for a berth in college basketball's Final Four. So as his teammates rushed toward him, resisting the temptation to tackle him before time had expired, Harrison beamed as he backpedaled, soaking in the scene at Lucas Oil Stadium.
"I knew I had to take that shot," Harrison said after Kentucky's thrilling 75-72 victory over Michigan. "I wasn't really sure how much time was left. But I knew it wasn't that much time, so I just tried to take the best shot I could and it fell.
"Making that shot and seeing my teammates so happy and running toward me, it's the best feeling in the world."
If he is to find a better feeling than this, Aaron Harrison might have to duplicate his heroics back home in Texas next Monday night. If he is to top his transcendent moment in Sunday's NCAA Midwest Regional championship game, Harrison might have to clinch the national title with a shot of comparable difficulty and decisiveness.
He has left himself a mighty tough act to top.
"When he made that shot, I mean, it was just ridiculous," Randle said. "In that stage, that atmosphere, that game, to make that shot to send us to the Final Four, it was just amazing.
"And I was just proud of him and it was shocking at the same time because it was such a tough shot."
The 60th 3-point basket of Harrison's season was his fourth of the night, and his fourth in four attempts over the game's final 8:06. He had been scoreless up to that point, a shooting guard wallflower in a game Kentucky appeared determined to win in the paint. But as Michigan tightened up its interior defense, opportunities arose on the perimeter.
You can't defend everything against a team that is bigger, stronger and dominant on the backboards. And you're going to have a very tough time beating this Kentucky team if Harrison and James Young continue to connect from outside the 3-point arc.
"Even though James Young hit the two (3-pointers) in the first half, it was all about dribble penetration, playing off the penetration, getting the rebound above the rim," Michigan coach John Beilein said, recounting Kentucky's winning possession. "And we weren't going to let them beat us (that way). ... Make them score over you. And he did."
Kentucky coach John Calipari had wanted to get the ball inside to Randle for a power drive to the basket and either a basket, a foul or both. But when that option failed to materialize, Andrew Harrison looked for his twin brother.
"Andrew gave me a handoff, and I kind of fumbled it," Aaron Harrison recalled. "I had to get control of the ball back and I tried to create some space. He (Michigan's Caris LeVert) was up on me. He touched my hand a little bit, actually."
A photograph of Harrison's release shows the ball leaving his fingertips just before LeVert's outstretched hand struck his palm. The Michigan sophomore said he could not recall making contact with Harrison, adding, "He made a pretty tough shot, contested. I'll have to live with that."
Harrison had made a similar shot with 39 seconds remaining Friday night against Louisville, turning a one-point deficit into a two-point lead. This time, the score was tied when he let the ball go about two steps beyond the 3-point line.
Johnson, recounting his conversation with Harrison during Michigan's final timeout, observed that his teammate was equipped with extraordinary intestinal fortitude. Johnson actually used a different term, unprintable here, and was asked for a G-rated alternative.
"He just has guts, you know?" Johnson said. "And it's just crazy."
Tim Sullivan can be reached at 502-582-4650, by email at tsullivan@courier-journal.com and on Twitter @TimSullivan714.