hopefully we do get answers and then we can go on. if we don't, this will be a life long quest for me. just for him. >> our thoughts are with danica weeks, her two sops and all the families of the passengers of flight 370, which disappeared four weeks ago today. that's it for us tonight. i want to thank my panel. "unguarded" with rachel nichols starts right now. rachel nichols -- it's the ncaa tournament's ultimate weekend. and rachel has the latest from the coaches and players fighting for college basketball's biggest prize. kentucky's head coach john calapari. >> we're playing seven freshman that are going to go out in front of 75,000. >> head coach bo ryan of wisconsin. >> it's so exciting to bring a team here. that's how i get excited.

>> connect's star guard. >> i'm just so glad to be back here now. so happy you start crying. >> and florida head coach billy donovan. >> we've been a team that's gotten it done together. >> "unguarded" is on location from arlington, texas. ♪ welcome to "unguarded." we are at the center of the sports universe this week, and for good reason. there is nothing that grips the country quite like the ncaa tournament. and tonight, we'll get to know the people behind all the pageantry that will play out in this stadium over the next few days. we start with kentucky coach john calapari. as engaming as he is controversial, calapari has had spectacular success with teams loaded with one and donees. players who only plan to attend

one year of college before bolting for the nba draft. this means his group is, by definition, very talented. and very green. ♪ three final four appearances in four years. so you, who already had experience, have this extreme familiarity with being here. the irony is, the kids on your team are largely freshman and they are having this for the first time. what is that like? >> listening to me. because again, i don't want them to make the game bigger than it is. i want them to stay in the moment. i want them to understand that you get in that game, that you lose yourself in the game, you lose yourself in the team.

less is more. that the game is not going to be won or lost in the first five, eight minutes. so just keep playing. those are things we're trying to get through to them. but they're all freshman. they're going to go out in front of 75,000 and probably pee down their leg to start the game. we're playing seven freshman. i don't know if that's ever been done before. >> you coached in so many different ways. did you ever think one of your programs would become the poster child for one and done? >> well, you're right, i've coached senior teams and freshman teams, middle of the road. i've done all that. ly tell you, this suspect the ideal situation. it's a hard deal. but at the end of the day, if i'm doing right by these kids, and we're trying to make them the best version of themselves as a player, as a person, and at the end of the year they have an opportunity to be one, two,

three, seven, 12 in the draft, i am not going to try to convince them to stay. well, you're ruining college basketball. >> with the first pick in the 2012 nba draft, the new orleans hornets select anthony davis. >> it's not my rule, but i do know this, if that young man came back and something happened to him, i couldn't live with myself. >> one of the things you said recently translating it to outside of basketball, you mentioned steve jobs, bill gates. you said people aren't criticizing they left school early. >> these kids have a genius now. the genius isn't with the computer. it may not be a business genius, but they have a genius. part of us is we're like an ap course. none of these kids are ready for the nba. our kids just seem to be more ready. we're proud of what we're doing. we're trying to make them the best version of themselves. i wish they went to two years.

>> even though you benefited the most, you want the rule to change. >> here's why. i think it would be better for high school kids. because these kids all think they're one and done now. i think it would be better for college players, because they would be more prepared to have success at the next level. >> given that it's not at two years yet and this is the situation you have to deal with, it's a tough life to build your program this way. you have to go out and recruit, a handful, maybe more of blue chip recruits. you have to do all of that work. you have to get a group of freshman, just learning about playing this level of basketball, to play together as a team, to play on this level. how is all your hair not gray by now? >> it's very difficult, but let me say this, would anything be more rewarding for you if you knew you're helping families change their lives? >> is that how you see it?

>> oh, yeah. you know generational poverty? when i say generational, i'm saying the entire existence of their family had been in poverty, and that has ended going forward. >> there are a lot of challenges, though. some years it looks like, okay, he's just not going to get this team together in time. >> we almost ran out of runway this year. we had to land that plane, and it needs to get down with enough runway, and we landed and the nose went right against the fence. >> it looked in the middle of the season you guys were struggling. that you weren't going to get your act together. what changed? it takes a while to find your way? >> yes. there's no -- you cannot skip steps in the process. you have to go through the fire to become steel. you have to. you have to get knocked down to really feel what getting up is about. you have to have games where you get knocked around so you can

figure out how to fight through. you have to be down so you can come up. you have to be in grind it out games. you have to play in fast games, zone games. this team, it's all first-time stuff with them. calapari told me he can't sustain this strategy of loading him team with a new group of freshman every year for much longer. but it's what he has this year, and he's riding it. all right, after the break, we'll hear from the coach of kentucky's opponent, wisconsin's bo ryan. with a very heartfelt trib put to the man he most wishes was here in arlington. >> it would be nice to have him here. hedges into a t-rex. i can do all that with my android from tracfone for as low as $7 a month. [ male announcer ] unbeatable nationwide coverage, no contract. for a limited time, save $50 on the zte valet. now just 49.99. tracfone. do everything for less.

i'm rachel nichols. welcome back to "unguarded" on location at the ncaa tournament. it's not easy getting to the final weekend here. for 13 years, coach bo ryan's wisconsin teams have made the bracket but they were never able to advance to this last four, until now. of course, just because you can't play doesn't mean you can't watch. and in 1976, ryan and his dad, butch, began a wonderful tradition. a father-son road trip every year for 38 straight years to

see these games. butch ryan died six months ago at the age of 89, and now bo sits down to talk about finally experiencing what both he and his dad had dreamed of. ♪ well, congratulations on reaching your first final four. does it feel like you expected it to feel after watching it all these years? >> it's a thrill. it is so exciting to be able to bring a team here, to be able to have them experience this on their timeline. it brings goose bumps thinking about the student athlete. >> we have seen such great emotion and celebration from your team, your family, all the supporters around the school. for all the celebrating, i never saw you with a net around your neck or anything like that. how come? >> i'll tell you the truth about what you're asking. we won a championship in platville. i went back to the hotel with

the net around my neck, and i ran into the coach of the other team. and i looked down and here i was talking to the other coach with the net around my neck, and i thought, you know, that probably is not the thing that i should be doing, but i was young, i was excited for the whole process of having -- >> that's a big tradition for the coach that reaches that level. >> you know, after that i never did it again. >> we can't talk about final fours without talking about the tradition you had with your late father. 38 years straight? >> yes. >> of coming to the final four as fans, as participants, as a coach. >> it was a great bonding time for us. we had talked about, you know, he would never like say, when the heck are you going to get this? it was like, boy, wouldn't it be nice to have one of your teams? wouldn't you like to coach in one of these? yes, dad, i certainly would. he passed away at the end of august, and this is the year we

get to the final four. >> it's going to be tough to be there coaching without him. this is for butch. >> what is that like knowing that? >> well, it's both ways. i know he's smiling, and some people say whether he's smiling from looking down or smiling looking up, we're not sure. but he was a character, and he always left an impression on people, hopefully a positive one. and it sure would be nice to have him here. and my mom who passed away eight months earlier. you know, that is always going to just grate just a little bit, but we're here. i know he's happy, and i know he's a proud dad. so hopefully we have a lot more in us. >> you said he was a character. what was he like when he was with you at all these year after year at these final fours?

>> he was hanging out in the lobby. more coaches knew him than me. >> there's an mc hammer story? >> he challenged mc hammer to a danceoff in the lobby in new orleans. got a lot of attention. >> how old was he? >> maybe like 60, 65. probably my age right now. >> is there anything you plan to do here this weekend to honor your father? >> just to try to make sure i give my players, like he did when he coached kids for 40 years, just try to give them my full attention and give them the proper advice and not get in their way. just trying to encourage them to be the best they can and enjoy the moment. >> coach them up right. a fitting tribute indeed. we have lots more on this special edition of "unguarded," including a conversation with billy donovan, as he tries to lead the top ranked florida gators to a remarkable third national title. right after this, the player who has been dazzling fans these

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welcome back to "unguarded." we're on location in arlington, texas, and we're bringing you the story of the young man who has captured the hearts of so many throughout this ncaa tournament. shabazz napier has been the backbone of the uconn huskies. he's determined to restore this program to the glory it reached three years ago and determined to keep one special promise along the way. you were on the uconn team that won this whole tournament when you were a freshman. most of us have never had that experience of being on the floor in that moment, where everyone is going crazy. >> it's surreal. you know, when you get to that

moment, it's like, wow, we made it, we won. jumping up and down, confetti, just hugging my teammates, hugging my coach, then crying most likely. you're just so happy you start crying. it's a special moment. >> you had that high, but it took you so much work and it was so hard to get there. you started out in roxbury, massachusetts and it wasn't an easy road. >> it was like any other inner city neighborhood. drugs, violent, guns, fights. you see a lot of violence, but a lot of good things, as well. i believe basketball was my calling. my mother did, too. she put a ball in my hands at the age of 5 1/2 and made sure i stayed clear of anything else. >> your mom worked so hard to make you into the person you are. >> my mom, she's my everything. >> how hard has she had to work to put food on the table, keep the electric on? >> super hard. my mom didn't graduate high school. she just got her ged, though,

which was important to me. and she didn't really have a job that she always had. it was on and off, on and off. she could have gave up, she had all the excuses in the world to give up. but she never did. it was embedded in me since then. i believe at the end of the day, i'm going to get through it. i could be dead tired, no more energy in my tank. but i know i can get through it. i know for a fact this is the easy part. basketball is the easy part. you have fun, enjoy it. >> now when you got that scholarship to uconn, i'm sure your mom was elated. but i heard she also made you promise something. what did she make you prom snils >> that i get my degree. she was definitely happy. that's the biggest thing she cares about. she always told me, basketball is second to school. i always believed it. >> you had such a great start at uconn. but then coach jim calhoun, who had been at the program forever, who recruited you, who you were

so close to, decided to retire for medical reasons and he didn't talk to you about it directly. he just made the announcement. >> i remember i was walking to my dorm, and i got a text saying man, i heard your coach is retiring. i'm like, what? i was like, no, you're lying, rumors. >> it was a tough time too, because the program was going through a lot. the ncaa didn't let you guys play in last year's tournament because the academic threshold that the program had reached wasn't up to the right standards. so a lot of players said you know what? coach is leaving, can't play in the ncaa tournament. you had players transfer and leave early for the nba. what conversations did you have about all that? >> in the beginning, i didn't know what was going on. i was definite lly flustered. >> what role did your promise to your mom play in that decision? >> it played a lot. the least i could do is keep my promise to my mom, make my mom

happy. after all she's been through, if that's going to make her happy, i'm going to fight for that. i think that's one of the biggest reasons i stayed my senior year. i'm just so happy i decided to stay. >> what do you think is going to be your biggest moment, if you guys do win this title, you're going to get back out on that floor celebrating all that confetti all over again. or at the end of this school year, when you collect that degree? >> if i had to choose one, it would be my mom. that's so special. as a young kid, you don't understand you can only play basketball for so long. to have it with my mom is even more special. >> a little less confetti at a college graduation but no less elation. coming up next, i sit down with the coach of the top ranked florida gators. but does billy donovan have an eye on the nba? we'll discuss that and more, coming up. i heard you leave the door open a few times recently.

welcome back. i'm rachel nichols. we've been bringing you the stories behind the scenes here at the ncaa tournament. billy donovan is just 48 years old. but he's one of the most experienced coaches in the sport. he first played at the elite two titles.as a coach he's won - but before he goes for his third this weekend, he sat down to talk to "unguarded." ♪ welcome back to the final four. there's kids out there who just know you as a coach. but most of us remember you at providence, billy the kid, had that great exciting run to the final four. but then you lost. what did you learn from that experience that you can teach your kids now? >> i remember running out of the locker room and there being 70,000 people in the superdome. i think it was very, very overwhelming, exciting. there was a different feeling because we were this cinderella team, we were an eight seed, and

we go on this run and all of a sudden we get to this, and i hope in some way i can get our guys to understand that you don't want to get overwhelmed. i think my experience as a player i can share with those guys about they got to rest properly. they cannot get emotionally drained through all this stuff. there's a lot of drama that goes on, there's a lot of attention and demands on their time. it's unlike anything these guys had to deal with, so it's all new to them. >> this team you had this year is a lot different than the team you last won the national championship with in 2007. ♪ there were four first round draft picks on that team. you might not have any this year. >> the best thing i heard about our team, the sum of our team is better than its parts. these guys have made each other better, which is probably the reason we've got on the this point.

>> there is this huge divide in college basketball right now. there's teams that have made it this far because they have that core of senior leadership. they play together as a team. then there are the teams made upmostly of big freshman stars, the one and donees then go to the nba. do you feel like there's any kind of referendum going on in college basketball in this final four? >> style of play wise, there's a lot of ways to skin a cat. for a lot of these freshman, they've played on national stages, even before they've gotten to college. and to be quite frank, a lot of them are really, really talented. they are just really good players. that's why they're able to make that jump to the next level after their freshman year. >> it's not just players, people want to know are you going to jump to the nba? you decided in 2007 i would rather stay in florida. but i heard you leave the door open. >> the one thing that's intriguing with the nba is it is

basketball 24 hours a day. do i feel like i have to coach in the nba? no. all i can say is i'm happy right now at florida. i enjoy being here. i think i've been committed to the institution a long time, 18 years. but there is intrigue in terms in the nba, i'm a player, i love being around the game. sometimes in college you don't get a chance to do that. sometimes as you get older in coaching, the thing that all you want to do is coach and be around coaching. but i also -- it's not lost on me that i am in a very, very great situation with the athletic director that hired my 18 years ago and is still there. >> one of the fun things you get in florida is this family aspect. your family literally is around you all the time. your son is a walk-on, on the team. >> he made a great comment to me. we beat dayton, we're on the floor celebrating. he said dad, i have something in common with you. we will have both played in the

final four. i missed a lot of him growing up because of traveling and coaching. high school basketball games are on tuesdays or fridays. sometimes we're traveling on those days. but the fact that he's here, i look at that as a great plus. >> a very lucky man for sure. all right. that's it for our show. i'll be back with even more from arlington tomorrow. as cnn brings you a bleacher report special at 2:30 eastern time. we'll see you next friday right back here on "unguarded" where the end of the game is just the start of the story. good evening again. i'm john burman sitting in for anderson. we have breaking news in the search for flight 370. that and a big gamble on how it's being done. this is a major development and it is not the only one as investigators raise to find something, anything before pingers from the boeing 777's black boxes stop working. fouree