No. 1 Kentucky took care of business against No. 8 Cincinnati today, with a solid 64-51 trouncing of the Bearcats.
The first half started slow, with a 4-minute scoring drought and 12 consecutive missed shots. Cincinnati’s Octavius Ellis, who played tonight despite being ejected from Thursday’s game against No. 9 Purdue, did a great job on the boards pulling down 6 in the half. Aaron Harrison, who ended the game with 13 points, landed a three to send the Wildcats up 7 going into the half, 24-31.
In the second half, Kentucky absolutely took over, despite how close the final score showed it to be. With blocks and steals, the Wildcats defense seemed unstoppable, as Cincinnati had 8 turnovers in this half alone. Despite Shaquille Thomas putting up 10, the Bearcats fell short.
Impact Player
The entire Kentucky defense. Ending the game with 7 steals and 9 blocks, they were nothing short of dominant, allowing just 18 points from the field in the second half.
Strange, Yet True
Cincinnati actually beat Kentucky on the boards, pulling down 8 more, 43 to 35. Despite this, their 31.7-percent shooting rate caused them to fall short.
Up Next
No. 1 Kentucky moves on to the Sweet 16, to face the winner of the No. 5 West Virginia and No. 4 Maryland game. No. 8 Cincinnati ends its season at 32-12, in the Round of 32.
Dorm Room Hoops 