The 2014 NCAA Tournament provided one of the strangest championship matchups between seventh seeded Connecticut and eighth seeded Kentucky. Each team’s run to reach the finals was unlikely, but showed the changing landscape in college basketball.

Kentucky’s strategy has been well documented. The Wildcats start five freshmen, all of whom are McDonald’s All-Americans, and even have another All-American coming off the bench in Marcus Lee. The one-and-done rule has been analyzed and discussed plenty of times throughout the last few years, but it has certainly worked for Kentucky. John Calipari has a chance to win his second NCAA title in the past three seasons behind his recruiting strategy. It has been criticized for not being sustainable, but it seems to be working just fine for the Wildcats. Kentucky knocked off a Wisconsin team that started four upperclassmen and a sophomore to reach the final.

The Wildcats clearly had the talent to make this run, but had early struggles due to the heavy dosage of inexperience. As the season progressed, Kentucky has shown why it was ranked as the preseason’s top-ranked team.

What’s more surprising was Connecticut’s run to make the championship game. Kevin Ollie didn’t recruit most of his roster, but his offense and maneuvering of lineups have been essential to reach the championship. The Huskies starting lineup has shown a change of the times as well.

In the backcourt, Connecticut has two scoring point guards in Shabazz Napier and Ryan Boatright. Both Napier and Boatright can play either guard spot and score at a high level. Napier, a 6-foot-1 senior, is averaging 17.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game this season while drawing the inevitable comparisons to Kemba Walker. Boatright, a 6-foot junior, has chipped in 12.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game. They can both beat defenders in isolation situations, helping the Huskies at the end of the shot clock.

Although they may give up some size in the backcourt, their energy and quickness give opposing guards trouble. In their last game against Florida, Napier and Boatright forced point guards Scottie Wilbekin and Kasey Hill into committing an uncharacteristic seven turnovers and limited them to only 11 points.

To put that in perspective, the Florida tandem has averaged a combined 18.6 points and only 3.3 turnovers per game. Last year’s Louisville squad had an undersized backcourt as well, meaning this could be back-to-back years where the starting guards were 6-foot-1 or smaller. While Napier and Boatright may form an unconventional backcourt compared to most NCAA teams, their production has been key to Connecticut’s run.

The Huskies’ frontcourt has been a recent trend as well. At the “3” position, Connecticut starts a three-point sniper with Niels Giffey. He’s struggled from behind the arc this tournament, but is hitting threes at a 48 percent clip this season. Giffey doesn’t have many plays ran for him, but his jumper has allowed him to start for the Huskies. He may not score at a high rate, but his jumper creates spacing for the guards to excel and avoid help defenders. A similar role was seen in Louisville’s Luke Hancock last season.

The “4” position, however, might be the reason Connecticut has reached the championship. Junior DeAndre Daniels has been the new-school breed of power forwards in the college game who are athletic and can stretch the floor. He’ll likely translate into a small forward at the next level, but his versatility has been a huge advantage for the Huskies. This tournament, the 6-foot-9 forward from Los Angeles has averaged 17.6 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. He even played the center position against Florida on occasions.

Connecticut doesn’t ask a lot from the center position and prefers a defensive-minded rim protector. Phillip Nolan and Amida Brimah are only averaging a combined 7.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, but also contribute 2.7 blocks. The offense doesn’t require a skilled “5” which is a plus because of the rarity of this type of player in today’s age.

The following play, published on the Twitter account @RollOrPop, shows one of the main concepts of Connecticut’s offense. The “5” sets a screen for the “1” which can potentially create space for a three-pointer. If not there, the “4” and “5” screen for the “2” who catches the ball at the top of the arc. Both guards touch the ball and have the freedom to create off the dribble.

The next play, also published by @RollOrPop, now hopes to get the ball in Napier’s hands. Napier, who would be the “1” on this play, gives it up to the “4” and the “1” sets a screen for the “3”. If the defender gets caught on the screen, the “4” can find the cutting “3” for an easy look. This sequence likely won’t be there, but the “5” goes on to screen for the “1”. The “4” feeds the “1” on the wing who could have space to knock down the three. If not, there’s now spacing for the “1” to attack off the dribble or call the “5” for a pick-and-roll.

Both examples show the attempt to feed the guards and allow for creativity and spacing. Ollie has brought a simple yet effective offense to play to his team’s strength.

The contrasting backcourts will be a storyline to watch as the quicker, experienced Connecticut guards take on the bigger, stronger, but younger Harrison twins. Aaron Harrison has hit some big-time shots to get to this point and will look to continue his clutch play in the finals. Napier, on the other hand, hopes to end his collegiate career with two NCAA titles.

No matter who wins, this game will be interesting to watch because of simply how different these teams are compared to traditional champions. There are plenty of similarities to be seen in Louisville and Connecticut, but earlier champions haven’t had these types of lineups, especially in the backcourt. Kentucky’s closest comparison to a national champion is probably to, well, Kentucky’s team led by Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist three years ago. Outside of that, freshman loaded rosters haven’t had this type of success since Michigan’s Fab Five.

College basketball is changing in more ways than one; Connecticut and Kentucky were simply ahead of the curve this year.