GLENDALE, Ariz. — Stephon Castle’s eyes got big on the opening possession Saturday night when he realized how Alabama intended to guard him.
The UConn freshman’s defender remained rooted in the paint, sagging eight to 10 feet off him and daring him to shoot.
Alabama’s daring strategy backfired when it coaxed newfound assertiveness out of a physically gifted but sometimes tentative future lottery pick. The long, athletic Castle delivered the best performance of his career, exploding for 21 points to power UConn to a hard-earned 86-72 victory over the feisty Crimson Tide in the second of Saturday’s two Final Four games.