Vicky Graff Photo
Ordinarily a 76-57 win over Troy would not be a reason to celebrate for Kentucky basketball. However, exceptions can be made and Friday’s NCAA Tournament win in Milwaukee was not just an ordinary win for UK.
First, it avoided another first round upset like the Cats suffered in 2022 and 2024 under previous coach John Calipari who totally lost the fanbase after a first-round loss to Oakland last year.
Second, it was the first NCAA Tournament win as a coach for Mark Pope. He was on a national championship team at Kentucky in 1996 but had yet to win a game as a college head coach. That was the one big question about his resume when UK hired him but now he has at least checked that box.
Third, it gives UK a chance to win a second NCAA tourney game, something the Cats did regularly before missing the NCAA tourney in 2021 and going 1-3 in NCAA games the last three years.
“We won, so I am excited. But we’ve got to play better on Sunday,” UK point guard Lamont Butler said after the win while celebrating with Pope during his interview on CBS-TV.
It was only fitting that Pope and Butler, who continues to play with an “arm hanging by a threat” according to Pope, walked off the court together to cheers from UK fans in Milwaukee who were desperate to see a win. The panic meter was soaring in the first half when Troy stayed with the Cats before Trent Noah and Andrew Carr hit 3’s to start a run that opened a 35-27 halftime lead.
Kentucky got 3’s from Otega Oweh and Koby Brea to start the second half but the lead was still only 45-39 before freshman Collin Chandler came off the bench to score nine points in less than two minutes. He buried two 3-pointers, including one immediately after coming into the game, and was fouled on another one and made all three free throws.
Of course, even then it was not a stress free finish as UK missed seven shots and had three turnovers in 10 possessions to allow Troy to cut a 61-39 lead to 61-48 with almost six minutes still to play.
“You are playing a team with nothing to lose,” UK Radio Network analyst Jack Givens said. “They come with no fear.”
Troy played that way but unlike losses to Oakland and Saint Peter’s, Kentucky did not wilt down the stretch and got the win to advance to the second round.
“You get through that first one and you can relax. It’s like, ‘Let’s see where we can go from here,’” Givens said.
Pope downplayed the significance of him finally getting his first NCAA win even though Butler couldn’t wait to mention it on national TV after the game.
“I am giving you a terrible answer. I wish I had a better answer,” Pope said when asked if the NCAA win felt any different than other wins he had. “It means something to me because we get at least 48 more hours together. When it comes to an end it is going to be super painful to me. What these guys have overcome just trying to get on the court has been pretty special.”
Great answer but this win was also “pretty special” to BBN after what has happened in recent NCAA Tournaments.
2 Responses
It wasn’t pretty, but a win is a win. Now for Illinois. They do a lot of pick and rolls which has been our krytonite this season. They also shoot the 3 pretty good, even their bigs, so we will have to pick them up at the arc. They remind me a lot of Tennessee. We will have a punchers chance if we rebound, defend the 3, and shoot 30 threes ourselves.
A poor mans Tennessee lol. I think we will take care of business if we don’t start committing a bunch of turnovers. If we take care of the ball and Williams dunks the damn ball when he’s 2 feet from the basket we will win. It kills me he tries them finger rolls at 7 feet 265 pounds. Dunk the damn ball and move the crowd out of the way. Its also about time for Brea to get hot. He usually has 2 slow and off games and then goes bonkers we will see. The bench needs to hit some 3s as well. I think Chandler has a big game against Illinois he is hitting his stride at the perfect time. He looks terrific on offense and defense. We need to play Butler only if we are playing bad defensively. His offense is terrible with his shoulder hanging on by a string. I also wouldn’t have Williams bringing the ball down the court so much. He will grab a rebound and take it all the way down the floor and throw the ball away. We need a guard to come get the ball from him when he grabs the rebound. I would have Chandler running the point if Butler plays like he did against Troy. Think about it he couldn’t do anything against Troy what do you think he will do against a much better Illinois?? Have Chandler run the point with Perry backing him up in spot minutes!