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The No. 2 seed Kentucky Wildcats barely escaped the No. 7 seed Wofford Terriers 62-56 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The start of this game couldn’t have been any worse. Wofford couldn’t miss and Kentucky couldn’t hit water if they fell out of a boat. But the Cats withstood it. The Terriers were hitting everything from deep in the first half, but UK limited their opportunities inside the arc. Thus, Kentucky went into the half with a narrow 28-26 lead.
Ashton Hagans was extremely aggressive in this one. He missed a lot of easy buckets, but he wasn’t afraid to take the ball to the rim. Getting to the free throw line was his signature move today.
Jemarl Baker provided a huge, huge spark off the bench. Without him, Kentucky would have fallen flat on its face today. He hit multiple big shots and his defense was lockdown.
EJ Montgomery was decent, but Nick Richards did not back up his pregame smack talk. This was a big chance for these two to shine and they didn’t step up.
This game wasn’t pretty. The Cats missed PJ big time on the offensive end, but their defense was spectacular. You couldn’t have asked for any more. Now, we just have to pray PJ will be back next week, which doesn’t look promising.
Next up, Kentucky will take on the winner of the game between the No. 3 seed Houston Cougars and No. 11 seed Ohio State Buckeyes in the Sweet Sixteen!
Box Score
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Game MVP
Ashton Hagans was excellent, Jemarl Baker provided a huge spark, but Reid Travis the most valuable.
Travis struggled through the pain as you could see him grimacing throughout the game, but he fought through it. He exploited every opportunity he was given.
He controlled the paint and the boards, while also providing the leadership this team needed.
Travis finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while shooting 5-10 from the floor. He also knocked down two HUGE free throws to ice the game.
PJ is Kentucky’s best player, Keldon has the most potential, but Travis is arguably the most important. He provides something that no one else can. Let’s just hope and pray that PJ gets that cast off as soon as possible.
Go Cats!
Highlights
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