INDIANAPOLIS – Aaron Harrison launched The Shot. Josh Gasser leaped to contest. As the ball arced through the air, Harrison's follow-through met Gasser's lunge.

"I think our fingers actually interlocked," Gasser recalled.

View photos Aaron Harrison (2) makes the game-winning three-point basket over Josh Gasser in last year's Final Four. (AP) More

Their fates interlocked as well. And Harrison had the upper hand that night.

The Wisconsin guard had given the Kentucky guard just enough space to rise up for a 3-pointer in the dying seconds in last year's Final Four, with the Wildcats down two. Despite Harrison's history of clutch shooting – he'd made shots to beat Louisville and Michigan the previous week – Gasser believes his defense was solid.

"We played him exactly how we wanted to," Gasser said. "When it left his hand I was feeling pretty good."

When he turned his head toward the rim, he was feeling pretty bad. Harrison's shot rattled and dropped with 5.7 seconds left, carrying Kentucky to a 74-73 victory and into the national championship game. The Badgers were crushed.

"Shocked," was the word Traevon Jackson used Friday, more than once.

Most of the involved parties will come back together again, 364 days later, here Saturday night. Once again, it's a national semifinal. Once again, the winner will move to Monday and play for a title.

But will the outcome be different this time?

With the Wildcats on the brink of a historic feat, the Badgers might wish to consult history to find some inspiration. This Kentucky-Wisconsin rematch has a very similar feel to the epic UNLV-Duke rematch 24 years ago.

A Duke team that was beaten in the 1990 Final Four got its payback shot at the '91 Final Four, against an unbeaten UNLV juggernaut that was being appraised as one of college basketball's greatest teams. And the payback chance came in Indianapolis.

Sound familiar?

There are some differences, of course. UNLV's team was virtually the same from 1990 to '91; Kentucky has fattened its roster with four McDonald's All-American freshmen – and Willie Cauley-Stein, who missed last year's Final Four with an injury. And the Badgers lost by a point in the final seconds; Duke wishes the '90 title game had ever been that close.

View photos Duke's Bobby Hurley goes to the floor after the basketball as Stacey Augmon of UNLV, right, and teammate Grant Hill (33) watch during the '91 Final Four. (AP) More

The Blue Devils hadn't just been beaten by the Runnin' Rebels – they were destroyed. UNLV won by 30 points, a title-game record victory margin that still stands. Its 103 points scored remain the record as well. Jerry Tarkanian's team shot 62 percent from the field, forced 23 turnovers and pressured freshman Duke point guard Bobby Hurley into distress.

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