DeAndre Liggins earned just his second start in Kentucky's last 12 games on Sunday with a monster performance in Friday's upset of top-seeded Ohio State in Newark, N.J.
How he started in the Wildcats' 76-69 regional final victory over No. 2 North Carolina, though, wasn't nearly as important as how he ultimately finished it off.
The 6-foot-6 junior has had an up-and-down season, to say the least, but proved once and for all that he can come through when UK needs him the most.
In a span of 37 seconds during the game's final moments, Liggins blocked a Kendall Marshall shot, helping preserve a 70-69 lead, then canned a huge 3-pointer from the right corner that served as the dagger with 35 seconds remaining.
Liggins finished with 12 points, four assists, three steals, two rebounds and the one block, rounding out what was, without question, his most important two-game performance in three years at UK.
The game-saving sequence came after UNC's Harrison Barnes scored eight straight points in memorable fashion to pull the Tar Heels to within two at 67-65 with just under four minutes left. As Liggins headed to the bench for a breather, the normally reserved Barnes, clearly ignited by the heat of the moment, shot some choice words at him.
They apparently backfired.
After the deciding three, North Carolina called a timeout, and CBS cameras caught UK coach John Calipari embracing Liggins on the sidelines with a hug and a kiss on the forehead.
It was the defining, breakthrough moment in their player-coach relationship.
"DeAndre has overcome a lot," Calipari said of one of the few remaining holdovers from the forgettable Billy Gillispie era. "And you look at him now. He defends, he is unselfish, he makes plays, his skills are improved. I'm really proud."
Added Liggins: "He made me the player I am now, and I respect him and I love him to death."
For the better part of his career in Lexington, the Chicago native has been a model of inconsistency on the offensive end despite being the Wildcats' resident defensive stopper. But all-around, he was arguably the Wildcats' most important piece this weekend.
Last year's team, behind a loaded freshman class that included John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins, made it to the Elite Eight before getting bounced by West Virginia. Calipari restocked the cupboard with more newbies, this time headlined by Brandon Knight, Terrence Jones and Doron Lamb.
This team isn't nearly as talented or deep as last year's, but simply has better glue. Liggins is now making himself even more valuable in that department alongside burly senior forward Josh Harrellson and junior wing Darius Miller ? two more players Calipari inherited and continued to develop when he came over from Memphis.
Getting to this point wasn't easy for Kentucky, as the Wildcats had a rough go of it for much of the year when playing away from the friendly confines of Rupp Arena.
The Cats went 1-6 in their first seven road games in SEC play, finding a different, agonizing way to fall each time. But since that last setback ? a 77-76 loss at Arkansas on Feb. 23 ?�they've now won 10 in a row.
It sets up a rematch with UConn next Saturday night in Houston. The Huskies handed UK its worst loss this season in 84-67 fashion on Nov. 24 in Maui.
But Kentucky has clearly learned from the lessons it was dealt in tough times this year, and is appearing to be both at its sharpest and toughest at just the right time.
Knight is doing it all now without hesitation, while Jones has learned to harness his incredibly versatile game as the year's worn on. Harrellson has only fouled out of two games this season and, during the 10-game win streak, has expanded his offensive repertoire while also being a monster on the glass. His intensity and physical style made things tough for Ohio State's Jared Sullinger on Friday, then kept UNC big man John Henson on the bench for the better part of Sunday's game in foul trouble.
It's that type of balance that makes Kentucky now the odds-on favorite to claim Calipari's first national title next weekend in the program's first trip to college basketball's biggest stage since 1998.
The second-year coach, who is often viewed from the outside as a guy who can bring talent in no matter where he is but can't take that talent all the way to the promised land, certainly deserves a heap of credit for what he's done with this group.
"We lost five first-round draft picks (after last season) and everyone wants to say you can't win with young players," he said. "I say if it is experience or talent and I have a choice, I'm taking talent and we will figure out how to make them play together, how to get them to defend, how to increase their toughness. How they have to play to win ballgames, I'll deal with that."
That's long been Calipari's mantra, but this time, he pushed all the right buttons.
Ryan Greene also covers UNLV and the Mountain West Conference for the Las Vegas Sun. Read his Rebels coverage and follow him on Twitter.
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