For Kentucky, Monk and Fox rarely leave the court.
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The victor in the late Friday evening contest will face the victor of top seed North Carolina and fourth seed Butler on Sunday for the South Region championship. They do the little things like 50/50 balls, being there to take charges, play solid defense and they don’t try to do anything outside of what they can’t do. Certainly he was second-best on this floor.
If you like great point guard matchups, look no further than to tomorrow night’s tilt between UCLA’s Lonzo Ball and Kentucky’s De’Aaron Fox, both of whom are projected top 10 National Basketball Association draft picks this spring. Ball managed only 10 points and went 1-for-6 from 3-point range, ending a remarkable freshman campaign – and likely his UCLA career – on a sour note as he was outdueled by both of Kentucky’s freshman guards, particularly Fox. When was the last time a guy scored 39 points in a college basketball game without making a three-point shot? “I can go on and on and on”, Kentucky head coach John Calipari said. Meaning they can play up to their competition, but also down to it as well.
Meanwhile, Ball finished with just 10 points and three rebounds. “We are doing this”.
The third-seeded Bruins (31-5) still have the most national titles. Here are the five biggest takeaways from Friday’s Sweet 16 action.
Nope. The SEC, which struggled to get three teams into the NCAA Tournament a year ago, now has two more teams playing on than any other league, including the Atlantic Coast Conference, which sent nine teams to the tournament. The game’s greatest player was a Tar Heel.
The final score was 86-75, but the Wildcats led by as many as 14. Both players are underclassmen though, so there’s a chance they will return to school after this season.
Monk: “He just did not want to lose and we did not want to lose”. When he did grow, his father encouraged him to keep that skill set while polishing an inside game to go along with it – even if the inside game felt uncomfortable at first.
“This is about two unbelievably talented teams”, Calipari said.
There are excuses but they are either Steve Alford’s problems to deal with like the IN rumors or part of playing IN March like the fact that Lonzo Ball is playing with tape on his hand and, I would bet, a nasty bruise on his hip and the fact that our best athlete, Ike Anigbogu, is playing on a bum foot.
The defense was concerning, however, and the second half started out worryingly.
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. The Wildcats outlasted UCLA in Memphis Friday night, shutting down the Bruins’ high-octane offense.
The Bruins shot 19-30 and made 7 triples in the second half. Somehow Golomon unvailed a spin move and dunk that had the Bruins’ fans buzzing, as well as winning a loose ball scrum that won the possession arrow for UCLA. The Gators’ Devin Robinson came up big in the second-round victory over Virginia with 14 points and 11 rebounds. It wasn’t because of lack of ball movement, seeing how the Bruins still tallied 46 assists in those two games. Ball might well be the NBA’s No. 1 draftee come June, but his March exit was a damp squib. North Carolina, Kentucky and UCLA represent Kramer, the always-invited glitterati with their flashy jewelry, expensive suits and fancy cars that make the normal-looking folk pop their eyes open in amazement, wishing they could be a part of it all.
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Still, having to play Carolina means that Kentucky is still playing, which is all that matters. The Wildcats are coming off a 65-62 win over Wichita State in the second round of the tournament. It makes them lean and hungry.
