Sunday Quickies: Heart of a Wildcat Edition

The Cats showed an incredible will to win in an insane environment last night

By Zac Oakes@ZacOakes Jan 26, 2020, 8:07am EST

I’m still not sure how Kentucky won that game last night. There were so many times where Kentucky could have easily rolled over and let Texas Tech come away with a win at home in the most energy-charged home game they’ve played in in a decade.

But that’s a testament to the heart and resolve this team showed.

It would’ve been easy to completely fall apart when the Red Raiders went on a run late in the second half when Kentucky had held a double-digit lead. It would’ve been easy to feel deflated when Immanuel Quickley’s three-pointer from the corner — a shot that he is nearly automatic for — bounced off the rim in the final seconds of regulation. Then there was the offensive rebound off the missed free throw in overtime.

We won’t even begin to talk about the officiating in that game, but if you want to know how bad it was, look at Twitter. It’s one of the main talking points of the game.

So many times, the Cats could have let that game get away, but managed to find a way to win. The upperclassmen especially found ways to make plays in crucial moments to keep Kentucky in the game to pick up a win that will be huge come Selection Sunday.

Ashton Hagans didn’t play very well offensively last night, but he didn’t let that translate to the other side of the court where he played very well defensively, making several big plays on the defensive end including the game-saving strip of Davide Moretti, who had killed the Cats late in the game. Nick Richards came up with big basket after big basket and shot well from the free throw line. Immanuel Quickley was also huge at the free throw line.

Overall, this was a gutsy performance by the Cats in a game that they really needed to win to beef up their tournament resume.

Tweet of the Day

Lynn Bowden was in Corbin tonight for his autograph tour. The high school had its football banquet tonight so he stopped in and talked to the team. Via @CoachLewallen pic.twitter.com/wiupEgbfy0
— Derek Terry (@DerekSTerry) January 26, 2020