Kentucky vs. Notre Dame: Score and Twitter Reaction from March Madness 2015

Admit it, Kentucky Wildcats fans—you were a little worried about this one. In fact, hearts were palpitating nationwide when Jerian Grant's potential game-winner was in the air in the final second.

Kentucky trailed for the majority of the second half against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish but escaped behind two free throws from Andrew Harrison in the final seconds to win 68-66. Grant had a chance to win it at the horn, but his shot sailed just long.

Next stop for the John Calipari-led 38-0 Wildcats is the Final Four.

Big man Karl-Anthony Towns put Kentucky on his back in the second half and finished with 25 points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block.

He and Devin Booker were the only two Kentucky players to finish in double figures, but it was Harrison who broke a tie with six seconds left at the free-throw line.

Still, Towns deserves plenty of credit given this stat (via ESPN College Basketball):

Kyle Tucker of The Courier-Journal passed along a telling quote from Town's father in the aftermath of the victory:

"

Karl Towns finished with a career-high 25 Pts for Kentucky. He had more FGs than rest of Wildcat starters combined. pic.twitter.com/p6HqrooFxh

— ESPN College BBall (@ESPNCBB) March 29, 2015"

The entire Kentucky team came through when it mattered most, though, as NCAA March Madness noted:

Zach Auguste led the way for Notre Dame with 20 points and helped the Fighting Irish answer Kentucky basket-for-basket until the very end.

Nicole Auerbach of USA Today praised Notre Dame for its efforts, while C.J. Moore of Bleacher Report noted that Kentucky is cool and collected in crunch time: 

ESPN Stats & Info and Tucker both provided some impressive numbers:

The Fighting Irish certainly have nothing to hang their heads about. David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune passed along a quote from head coach Mike Brey:

Notre Dame missed the memo that it was supposed to roll over and watch Kentucky run away with yet another victory. The Fighting Irish battled the Wildcats for the first 20 minutes and headed into halftime tied at 31.

Peter Bukowski of Sports Illustrated pointed out one of the issues for Kentucky in the early going:

Kentucky seemed to figure something out at the start of the second half, and it continued to pound the ball down low to Towns. Notre Dame doesn't have much size to deal with someone like him down low, which led to some quick points, as Tucker noted:

That sequence was important, because it established Kentucky's primary offensive plan for the majority of the second half.

To Notre Dame's credit, it battled on the other end and answered almost every basket from Towns.

Grant probably wasn't surprised his team was challenging Kentucky in the second half given his pregame comments (via WSBT.com): "We have a lot of confidence. We feel they haven't played an offensive team like us. Just go out there and play our game I think we'll be able to get a win."

Notre Dame continued to attack the typically stifling Kentucky defense, as ESPN commentator Fran Fraschilla pointed out:

Part of the problem for the Wildcats was the inability of anyone to score outside of Towns for a large stretch in the second half, which prompted this thought from Rob Dauster of NBC Sports:

That may have been a reason for concern, but Towns was doing more than enough to keep the Wildcats alive. He earned some praise from Matt Norlander of CBS Sports in the process:

Even with Towns getting his, Notre Dame didn't back down at all. It took a 61-56 lead with just more than five minutes remaining and had the Wildcats on the ropes. Auerbach suggested as much:

Notre Dame may be known for its perimeter shooting, but it was scoring points in droves down low, as Brett Edgerton of ESPN.com pointed out:

Even with their backs against the wall, the Wildcats turned to their go-to man in crunch time. Aaron Harrison drilled a three-pointer to give Kentucky the lead back with less than two minutes remaining. Auerbach pointed out that it was business as usual:

Grant answered with a three-pointer of his own to give Notre Dame the two-point lead, and then Towns tied it up again with a minute remaining.

The Fighting Irish had a chance to take the lead but committed a back-breaking shot-clock violation with 35 seconds left in the game.

David Gardner of Sports Illustrated pointed something out that was impressive but probably didn't make Notre Dame fans feel any better about the timing:

On the ensuing Kentucky possession, Andrew Harrison attacked the rim, drew a foul and hit both free throws. It was an ice-water-in-the-veins moment and one that Wildcats fans will undoubtedly remember for years to come.

Grant had a chance to win the game at the buzzer with a prayer of a three-pointer over two defenders, but it sailed over the rim.

Somehow, some way, Kentucky survived 68-66.

What's Next?

"

That was Notre Dame's only turnover this half and first in 29 minutes.

— David Gardner (@byDavidGardner) March 29, 2015"

Next up for the undefeated Wildcats is a Final Four showdown with the Wisconsin Badgers. 

Kentucky and Wisconsin played in last year's Final Four, and it was one of the best games of the entire tournament. The Wildcats escaped with a 74-73 victory after Aaron Harrison drilled a three-pointer of a lifetime with less than six seconds remaining.

That moment has likely served as a motivating factor for the Badgers all season long, and now they get their chance to exact some revenge in dramatic fashion.

Of course, the Kentucky team they are set to face this time around is unscathed and much stronger than the one they saw last year.

Thirty-eight teams have tried, and 38 teams have failed. Perhaps Wisconsin will be the one to finally end the undefeated season.