“No”, Kentucky coach John Calipari said sarcastically when asked about three SEC teams advancing.
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Fox dropped a new NCAA freshman record of 39 points on 13-of-20 shooting from the floor, along with making 13-of-15 from the free throw line and led the ‘Cats to their sixth Elite Eight in the last eight seasons.
Ball is projected to be the No. 2 pick by ESPN, The Vertical, CBS, DraftExpress, Bleacher Report and NBADraft.net, all of which include UCLA freshman TJ Leaf and the Kentucky freshman trio of Monk, De’Aaron Fox and Edrice Adebayo in the first round.
No matter how deep it is, if you let a shooter like Monk step into 3-pointers like UCLA did on Friday night, he’s going a few of them. 1 ranked Wildcats 97-92 in the Bruins’ first trip to Rupp Arena on December 3, and they now have won two straight in this series.
With the eyes of most of the nation on him (including Lakers general manager Magic Johnson), Ball was overshadowed by his point guard counterpart, Kentucky’s De’Aaron Fox. That wasn’t a problem with Kentucky fans.
“I think I came out and scored the first eight and it was a timeout and they were like, ‘Just keep doing what you’re doing, ‘ ” Fox said.
Although history between the two college powerhouses is well-documented, the showdown centered on point guards Fox (Kentucky) and UCLA freshmen phenom Lonza Ball, both projected first-round National Basketball Association lottery picks. He was held to 10 points, eight assists with four turnovers in an 86-75 loss to Kentucky. “What does UCLA have to do to win tonight’s game?”
It was as if the Kentucky freshman had paused for a moment to acknowledge the magnitude of the evening, which revolved around UCLA freshman star Lonzo Ball.
Alford indicated he wasn’t surprised by Ball’s decision, even saying he assumed it was the end of the freshman’s college career.
Added Alford: “It’s tough to stop a guy who has as good of a mid-range game as he does”. “We’ve had our share of some very good one-and-dones”. UCLA finished 15 points below its season average, turning the ball over 13 times after committing only nine in its first two NCAA Tournament games.
That helped Carolina build the advantage to 30-14 when Maye connected on a three-pointer near the midway point of the first half. He hit four of his first five shots, including a pair of 3s, within the first five minutes of the second.
Monk scored 14 of his 21 points in the second half as United Kingdom avenged a regular-season loss to Bruins and advanced to the region finals against North Carolina, which beat Butler 92-80 in the first semifinal.
Thomas Welsh hit a short jumper, then Bryce Alford hit a 3 to pull UCLA within 50-49. Calipari, who has led Kentucky to the Sweet Sixteen in six of his eight seasons at Kentucky, improved to a flawless 6-0 in regional semifinal games.
By the second half, the Wildcats were running up and down the court.
The opening 4:44 of the second half was an offensive blur – 27 points scored between the two teams, three 3-pointers made and just three empty trips between the two teams in 14 possessions. Totals 29-55 8-13 75. The Bruins are now 31-4 on the season and 17-18 against the spread. His counterpart, Ball, settled for 10 points off 4-of-10 shooting (1-of-6 from three) with eight assists and four turnovers. Malik Monk is leading this team with 20 points per game while Edrice Adebayo puts up 13.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per contest.
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UCLA (31-5) carried that moniker until Friday night.
