Doyel: Notre Dame challenges Kentucky like no other

• Kentucky vs. Wisconsin%2C 8%3A49 p.m. Saturday%2C CBS

CLEVELAND – Notre Dame thought it could win. Bless their hearts, the Irish really believed that. And not at halftime of Saturday's Midwest Region championship game, when the Irish had played unbeaten, unbeatable Kentucky to a tie. They thought they could win earlier than that. Much earlier.

Not late in the first half when the Irish were scoring on brilliant cuts to the basket against the biggest starting five – college or pro – in basketball. Not midway through the first half when Irish center Zach Auguste was roaring through all those Kentucky 7-footers to jam home Pat Connaughton's miss. Not in the game's opening minutes, when Jerian Grant and Demetrius Jackson were attacking the Kentucky perimeter and Connaughton and Auguste were going up between various Kentucky giants for offensive rebounds.

Earlier. Much earlier.

When was the moment, I asked Demetrius Jackson, that you guys started to believe you could beat Kentucky?

"The moment we found out we were playing Kentucky," Jackson told me in a Notre Dame locker room that can only be described as furious. Not sad or heartbroken – angry. The Irish thought they should, thought they would, beat Kentucky.

"I don't think it would've been an upset," Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said after Notre Dame's 68-66 loss in the final seconds of the Midwest Region title game at Quicken Loans Arena. "We never believed that in our little group. That's probably why we had a chance."

That's why, even though this game ended the way every game against Kentucky has ended this season – with the other team, Notre Dame on this night, walking off the court in defeat – it started like no other game against Kentucky has started. It continued like no game against Kentucky has continued. And it went on and on, as Notre Dame went toe-to-toe with the Wildcats and even outplayed them for most of 40 minutes.

When it was over and Notre Dame players were staring at each other in shock after Grant's prayer of a 25-footer from the corner went unanswered, the Wildcats were collapsing all over the court in relief to have survived the most brutal test they have faced this season.

Maybe the most brutal test they will face all season.

At least one more test remains, possibly two, but a team will have to do something special next week in the Final Four at Indianapolis to push Kentucky like Notre Dame pushed the Wildcats on Saturday night.

The first team to get that chance will be Wisconsin, which won the West Region and will take on the 38-0 Wildcats on Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium.

"That's a great matchup," Brey said. "Wisconsin's a little bit like us – they're skilled and they can spread people out a little bit. They have a little more bulk and front-line size, but they're really skilled offensive guys, and certainly we were able to get some things tonight. But the (Kentucky) size does get to you; over 40 minutes, it can take its toll on you."

The Irish, looking for their second Final Four appearance – they made it in 1978 – played with a small lead for most of the game. They got 20 points and nine rebounds from Auguste. They got nine rebounds from the 6-5 Connaughton. They got 15 points and six assists from Grant. They got 16 points on just eight shots from the field from Steve Vasturia.

The only Notre Dame starter who didn't produce at a high level was Jackson, who scored two points on 1-for-7 shooting, though he had twice as many assists (four) as turnovers (two) and kept the foot to the pedal, attacking the lane and the rim and any Kentucky giant who stood in his way.

"Nobody was scared," Jackson said.

For 40 minutes, Jackson and the Irish went at Kentucky like they were utterly unimpressed with Kentucky's 37-0 record, with their starting lineup that is bigger than any in starting five in college or the NBA, with their home-crowd advantage that turned Quicken Loans Arena into a sea of blue.

"I'm proud of our group," Brey said. "We emptied the tank."

Notre Dame's final four shots from the floor were 3-pointers by Grant, who hit the first one with about 2½ minutes left for a 66-64 lead. But while Grant was missing his final three shots from behind the arc – one was blocked by Kentucky 7-footer Willie Cauley-Stein – the Wildcats were tying the score at 66 on a Karl-Anthony Towns post-up bucket with 1:09 left, then going ahead on two free throws by Andrew Harrison with 6 seconds left. Kentucky got into position to make that final run thanks to 3-pointers from Tyler Ulis and Aaron Harrison that erased Notre Dame's 59-53 lead with 6:10 left.

"I thought we had a great chance of beating them," Brey said. "They made some timely 3-point shots. We got a little stagnant offensively, but it's easy to get stagnant against their length."

Only once did Kentucky threaten to pull away, and all Notre Dame did was dig in like a bag of boulders. The threat happened early in the second half when Devin Booker buried a 3-pointer against the Irish zone and then Towns (25 points, 10-of-13 shooting) posted Auguste for an easy bucket. Kentucky had its biggest lead of the game at 38-33, Kentucky superfan Ashley Judd was dancing on the giant scoreboard, and Notre Dame was in trouble.

Or not.

Grant found himself isolated after a Kentucky switch on Cauley-Stein and took the 7-footer to the rim, drawing the foul and making two free throws. After a Kentucky turnover Auguste got free for a reverse at the shot-clock buzzer, and then Vasturia drove right at Towns for a bucket. Auguste jammed home a Demetrius Jackson miss, Vasturia hit a 3-pointer and Connaughton drove the lane for a dunk that had Wildcats coach John Calipari calling timeout and Ashley Judd burying her face in her hands on the giant scoreboard.

Notre Dame led 46-42, and the Irish believed. Connaughton was trying not to smile as he walked to the huddle, then failed, then grabbed Jackson and hugged him. On the other sideline Calipari was raging at his team, which was being played to a standstill on the glass despite having a nearly 6-inch height advantage at each position.

Notre Dame was outworking the Wildcats, and not just on the boards but everywhere. Kentucky was scoring because of its physical superiority, using it on post-ups by Towns and tip-dunks by Marcus Lee and easy put-backs by Trey Lyles and Cauley-Stein.

Notre Dame was scoring with ball movement and brilliant offense.

Time and after time an Irish guard would get into the lane, collapsing the Kentucky defense onto him, and then finding a cutter on the baseline. Vasturia lost Lyles, scoring a bucket from Grant. Vasturia cut again for a layup, this one from Jackson. Bonzie Colson and Auguste scored repeatedly on cuts, Auguste taking the pass from Grant and turning it into a dunk.

Midway through the second half, the craziest thing was happening. Notre Dame was taking it to Kentucky, just dunking on the Wildcats and swinging from the rim and screaming into the Big Blue crowd. Auguste once, then twice, then Connaughton.

Kentucky kept reaching for acts of physical superiority, trying to block every shot within five feet of the rim, and Notre Dame kept outworking the Wildcats, outthinking them. Jackson attacked the rim, found every Wildcat within reach trying to block his shot, and Auguste was there for the offensive rebound. Another block attempt by Kentucky didn't work, allowing Auguste to grab his own miss and put it back with no resistance. Vasturia then hit a 3-pointer for a 59-53 lead with 6:10 left.

Find Star columnist Gregg Doyel on Twitter at @GreggDoyelStar or atwww.facebook.com/gregg.doyel.