Cats Race Past Buffalo into Sweet 16
BOISE, Idaho – The Sweet 16 is familiar ground for Kentucky.
Even when you’ve made it there in seven of the last nine years and 26 times since 1975, it still lives up to its name: sweet.
“It’s great,” Wenyen Gabriel said. “I feel like we got all the momentum in the world right now. Young team, had a ton of naysayers. This has really brought us together. When you have a team like this full of young, talented guys and you’re together like this, I feel like you’re on top of the world.”
An offensive tour de force landed UK in the Sweet 16 this time, with the fifth-seeded Wildcats thriving inside and out in a second-round matchup with No. 13 Buffalo at Taco Bell Arena. UK (26-10) shot 56.3 percent and scored their third-most points of the season to tally a 95-75 victory over Buffalo (27-9) and book a trip to Atlanta for the South Regional.
“Today they were good,” Coach Cal said. “… It’s rewarding to see individuals do what they’re doing. But it’s also rewarding to get them to understand they need each other, because this is a team sport.”
The confident – and vocal – Bulls said going in they would run with the Cats, just as they did in upsetting fourth-seeded Arizona on Thursday. UK embraced the opportunity to play an up-tempo game after opponents spent most of the season trying to force them into grinding it out.
“We just try to come out and try to prove everybody wrong, and that’s what we did today,” Hamidou Diallo said. “And can’t feel better about this one.”
Buffalo gamely held its own on the other end of the floor, but UK’s ability to score at will was too much to overcome. The Cats scored 1.28 points per possession, their fourth most of the season, and 44 points in the paint, including eight dunks and 13 layups.
UK appeared poised to turn the game into a blowout on a couple occasions, but the Bulls managed to shoot their way back in each time. In spite of foul trouble the Cats managed to hang on, never trailing after Buffalo scored the first basket 32 seconds into the game.
“There will still be experiences in this tournament as we go forward that they’ve never faced and I have to try to talk them through it,” Calipari said. “I told them at halftime Buffalo is going to make a run. They may tie the game up. So what, just keep playing. They made their run and got it to six, they may have made it to four. I said, ‘This is what happens in this stuff, you’ve got to keep playing.’ “
More often than not, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the one to steady the ship for UK. He scored 27 points on 10-of-12 shooting, including a 3-pointer in the first half to quiet the crowd and a “shhh” gesture to match.
“I knew before the game the crowd was against us,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “They were cheering for the underdogs and they had gone on a little run. The crowd was screaming. They were hollering. It was the loudest I heard it all game. And then the next play, I came down and hit a 3, I think, and I just silenced the crowd and I let them know that I silenced them.”
He had another similar 3 with the lead at five with just under 10 minutes left in the game, this time forgoing the rare show emotion afterward. The next time Buffalo cut the lead to five, he scored three points the old-fashioned way with an and-one.
“We needed somebody to step up and he was somebody who stepped up,” Kevin Knox said. “He did a really good job of getting to the basket, getting everybody involved and he’s one of the best point guards in the country. I’m proud of him, the way he’s grown throughout the year. He led us to the Sweet 16 today.”
With Gilgeous-Alexander having almost every answer and Hamidou Diallo (22 points and eight rebounds) and Gabriel (16 points and 12 rebounds) stepping up when he didn’t, UK was finally able to wrest permanent control away from the Bulls. The Cats closed the game by outscoring Buffalo 23-8, sparing Kentucky fans a dramatic finish.
“I think that just comes with experience and us knowing our roles,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We know exactly what we need to do to win and once things get tight we kind of focus a little more and narrow in on what we need to do.”
UK will now carry that focus forward into the Sweet 16, where the Wildcats will face either No. 9 seed Kansas State or No. 16 UMBC on Thursday. A big contingent of UK fans figures to follow the Cats to “Catlanta,” where they will watch a team that has come to give them lots to cheer about.
“Just our growth throughout the season has really shown,” Knox said. “We’re starting to play in big-time environments. We’re starting to play together more on both ends of the basketball court. It’s fun to watch, it’s great to see and I’m glad we’re growing over the season.”
Atlanta Ticket Info
Tickets for the regional semifinal games in Atlanta can be purchased by visiting NCAA.com/MBBTickets. Fans will find complete ticket information for all NCAA sites, including information on NCAA Ticket Exchange, the official secondary marketplace for authentic NCAA Tournament tickets. Student ticket information will be posted online at UKStudentTix.com later on Sunday, March 18th.
