CLEVELAND – Needless to say that in a game featuring 20 lead changes and a dozen ties, things got a bit tense.Add in that a Final Four bid was on the line and Kentucky was trying to maintain its perfect record, and, well, you have what we saw Saturday night at Quicken Loans Arena. It was a game to remember whether you’re a fan of the Wildcats (38-0) or the Irish (32-6), and it was one that featured a number of timely plays by Kentucky in order for the Cats to come through with their 38th victory of the year.”We were just fighting to stay in the game, to be honest with you, and it was nice to see how it finished for these kids,” UK head coach John Calipari said.Trailing by six points with 6:10 left on the clock, Kentucky’s quest for a ninth title banner and fourth trip to the Final Four in the last five years was very much in jeopardy. Over that final stretch, five plays stood out in particular.Tyler Ulis hits a 3-pointer in the cornerKentucky came out of a 30-second timeout with 6:10 showing on the clock facing its biggest deficit of the game at 59-53. Freshman guard Tyler Ulis brought the ball up the court and passed it to forward Karl-Anthony Towns outside the 3-point arc. Towns then handed it back to Ulis as the two worked off each other on the right side of the court by the UK bench. After Ulis bounced an entry pass back to the 6-foot-11 freshman on the right block he darted to the corner. When Towns kicked it back out to him there was no hesitation on what to do.”The whole bench was yelling at me, ‘shoot the ball, shoot the ball,’ when Karl had it, so I knew I had to knock it down,” Ulis said.The 3-pointer cut UK’s deficit in half, and while Zach Auguste would hit a layup for the Irish on the next possession, it was the confidence that Ulis’ 3-pointer gave the Cats that carried through and helped swing the momentum back in UK’s favor.”We had to have the 3 by Tyler,” Coach Cal said.Aaron Harrison returns to heroic role with deep 3-pointerAaron Harrison has a knack for the dramatic when the calendar flips to March. This much we all know. But after three straight double-digit victories to open the NCAA Tournament, UK had not needed to call on the sophomore sharpshooter in the 2015 Dance to rescue them in a dire situation.Then Saturday happened.Trailing 63-61, Aaron Harrison got a pass from Ulis, who immediately pointed toward the basket, or perhaps it was the shot clock that had six seconds showing. Either way, Aaron Harrison didn’t hesitate and ripped the net from well beyond NBA 3-point range to give Kentucky its first lead in nearly 12 minutes of game time.”It was exciting,” Aaron Harrison said. “It’s always cool when you hit a big shot to see your team’s reaction. I just looked over at my bench and I was just happy. I was excited.””That was a deep shot,” his twin brother, Andrew, said. “I mean, it’s Aaron. So y’all know what to expect from him.””Aaron’s 3 was huge for us,” Ulis said. “It put us up one and he pulled it from deep and that’s what he does. He did it, what, three times last year and the kid, he just makes big shots.”Willie Cauley-Stein wins All-America matchup with blocked shotIt was only fitting that the best defensive team in the country had perhaps the biggest play of the game on the defensive end.With the game tied at 66-all and less than a minute showing on the clock, Notre Dame senior All-American Jerian Grant was matched up with UK junior All-American Willie Cauley-Stein. The Irish’s leading scorer vs. the Cats’ top defender with a Final Four berth awaiting the winner.Standing just to the left of the top of the key, Grant did the move that had worked so many times earlier in the night with a quick drive and step back as he attempted a long 3. “His step-back is vicious,” Cauley-Stein said. “It’s probably one of the coldest step-backs I’ve guarded.”The 7-foot tall Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Year didn’t bite too hard on the drive this time though and with his long wingspan was able to tip Grant’s 3-point attempt, causing the ball to float harmlessly into the air like a wounded duck. The two teams then battled to gain possession of the blocked shot, knocking it out of bounds with one second left on the shot clock.”I had no idea that I was even close to it to block it and I barely tipped it,” Cauley-Stein said. “I got my fingertips on it. Dude is crazy. His step-back is probably one of the fastest step-backs that I’ve guarded and he’s good at it. He knows how to set you up to get just enough space and I’m fortunate enough to have even gotten my fingertips on it.” “No other player in the country,” Ulis said. “He’s 7-foot. The Grant kid, he’s really good, he’s a great player. He was beating us off the dribble a lot. He hit him with a move, step-back, Willie read it perfectly and blocked the shot, which was the biggest play of the game actually.”Kentucky would then steal the inbounds pass on that final second opportunity and not allow Notre Dame to get a shot off. The sequence gave UK possession with 33.6 seconds to play, the shot clock turned off and the game tied. It also set up the next big play in the game, as a different Harrison showed how strong his nerves are.Andrew Harrison sinks two game-winning free throwsKnowing he could hold the ball for the final shot of the game, point guard Andrew Harrison waited until there was less than 10 seconds showing before he drove toward the basket.The 6-6 guard drove hard to the basket and after recognizing Notre Dame guard Demetrius Jackson beginning to establish his position, Andrew Harrison side stepped, forcing Jackson to move and thus get the block call.”Andrew tried to avoid him, which made him move instead of just jumping, which is something we do work on a lot but he’s been great at,” Coach Cal said.Drawing a foul in a tie game with six seconds left is great, but then making one or both of the ensuing free throws is a whole other task. Luckily for Kentucky, Andrew Harrison was up for it.”It’s usually Aaron making the shots and stuff like that,” Andrew Harrison said. “I’m just glad I could make the free throws.”You had to block out everything. I don’t even know what I was thinking at that time. You just block out everything, try to make the shot.””I didn’t look at the first one,” his twin brother, Aaron, said. “I tried to look away at the first one. And then when he hit the first one, I knew he was going to make it. I think the first one was the toughest. I had confidence in him, of course.”UK swarms Jerian Grant on final possessionAfter Andrew Harrison’s free throws the Cats led by two and had one timeout remaining, while Notre Dame did not have any. Coach Cal was faced with the decision: Call timeout and set up a defense, but also allow Notre Dame to set up a play; or let the players play it out?”They didn’t have a timeout, and I wasn’t going to call one,” Coach Cal said. “You guys know how I am. I wasn’t (going) to call one and let Mike (Brey) design something crazy, so we weren’t going to call a timeout.”Notre Dame inbounded the ball to Grant, who ran the length of the court, streaking down the left sideline with Cauley-Stein matching him step for step. Once Grant got to the corner he paused for Cauley-Stein to run by, but then had to double clutch in the air as Andrew Harrison followed closely behind on the side. Then, with 6-10 Trey Lyles guarding in front of him, Grant had to heave up a desperate 3 that appeared to be on target but sailed too long.For the game, Kentucky trailed for 21:51, but five plays spanning the final six minutes helped push UK out of a hole and into the Final Four.”I mean, I think we just focused,” Aaron Harrison said. “When our back’s against the wall, we do what we have to do to win the game.”