Kentucky Basketball defeated the Norse in Banker’ s Life Arena in Indianapolis Friday night.
The win was never really in doubt, but it was never really comfortable for Kentucky Basketball either. Here are the takeaways from the action.
At the end of the first half Kentucky Basketball led 38-24, but it seemed like the margin should have been greater. The Cats led for virtually all the way, with their largest margin at 36-21 with 3:18 remaining. UK held the Norse to 9-37 (24%) shooting from the field and shot a solid 49% themselves.
With all those misses by NKU, there were a lot of rebounds to be had. Surprisingly, the Norse battled the Cats to a near stand-off in that category, 25-24. That area kept the underdogs in the game in the first twenty minutes.
Areas of Concern
The second half saw the Wildcats extend their lead to as much as 18 at 63-45 with 8:18 left. But to NKU’s credit they kept battling and UK wasn’t able to put the game away until very late. Two factors were key in keeping the game close.
First, the Norse went 5-15 from beyond the three-point line in the second half, while the Cats were a very poor one of nine over that period. For the game NKU was only 8-32 from three, but that was much better than UK’s 3-17. Take away the three’s and Kentucky Basketball shot a strong 55 (24-44) inside the arc.
There was a second, and more troubling factor that kept NKU hanging around. Chiefly through the efforts of Carson Williams, the Norse exploited the Cats at the 4 (power forward) position. The freshman from Owenton, KY had 18 of his 21 points in the second half.
He went 7-10 from the field and was perfect on all seven of his free throws. Kentucky’s Derek Willis and Wenyen Gabriel struggled greatly to contain Williams, with Willis committing four fouls in the attempt. Defense in the four spot was a big weakness for UK earlier in the season, but had improved in recent weeks. Last night was a regression in that area.
The fear is that as Kentucky Basketball goes deeper in the tournament, more talented foes will attack that area to gain an advantage. The Cats must come up with a remedy to this weakness
Big Night for Bam
Bam Adebayo had a huge game with 15 points and a career high 18 rebounds. That rebound total is the highest by any Wildcat in NCAA tournament action since Corbin KY native Jerry Bird had 24 versus Iowa in the 1956 postseason. This marked Bam’s fourth double-double in the last eight games. Another big plus was his 5-6 performance from the foul line.
The freshman big man still occasionally has problems hanging on to the ball and finishing around the rim, but his improvement over the course of the season is undeniable. Bam’s continued strong play is essential to the Cats moving on in March.
Highs and Lows
For the fourth straight game De’Aaron Fox led Kentucky in scoring. He had 19 points, but his assist/turnover ratio of 3/6 needs to turnaround going forward. Isaiah Briscoe had one of his stat-stuffing specials, with 18 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two blocks.
Dominique Hawkins continues to give the Cats a lift off the bench, adding seven points. Although he struggled on the defensive end, Willis contributed seven points and eight boards.
When Kentucky is outshot from the three-point line as badly as they were in this one, you would assume Malik Monk had a bad night. You would be right. He whiffed on all six of his long balls. He did manage to finish with 12 points, mainly by going 6-7 from the free throw line. It was good to see him get to the line on a night he struggled from the field. But he has to be sharper as the waters get deeper.
Kentucky Basketball in the Second Round
A rematch from the Cats’ memorable 2014 tournament run is next. Kentucky will face the Wichita State 2:40 ET Sunday afternoon in Indianapolis. This is a rematch from the Cats memorable 2014 tournament run.
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Three years ago the 8th seeded Wildcats upset the top-seeded and undefeated Shockers 78-76 at this same post-season juncture. Stay with us here at Wildcat Blue Nation to keep up with the Cats in post season action.