Men's Basketball

March 21, 2015

Recap | Box Score | Quotes | Photo Gallery media-icon-photogallery.gif | USATSI Photo Gallery media-icon-photogallery.gif

  • Team records: Kentucky is 36-0, Cincinnati is 23-11.
  • Kentucky leads the all-time series 28-10.
  • With Kentucky’s 36 consecutive victories …
    • Kentucky is the first team in the history of college basketball to start a season 36-0.
    • It extends the longest win streak in Kentucky history.
    • It extended the longest season-opening win streak for any team in SEC history.
    • It extended the longest win streak for a John Calipari-coached team.
  • Kentucky is 213-27 all-time when ranked No. 1 and has won 58 of the last 60 games as The Associated Press top-ranked team.
  • Calipari has led three schools to a No. 1 ranking (Massachusetts, Memphis, Kentucky) and has a 102-9 record as the top-ranked coach, including 61-4 at UK.
  • Calipari is now 188-37 (.836) as head coach at Kentucky, the best winning percentage of any coach in UK history.
  • Kentucky has reached the Sweet 16 in every NCAA Tournament appearance under John Calipari.
  • Next for the Wildcats: UK will play the winner of No. 4 seed Maryland vs. No. 5 seed West Virginia in the Sweet 16 in Cleveland, Ohio.

In the NCAA Tournament

  • Kentucky won its nation-leading 118th NCAA Tournament game. UK is 118-47 (.715) all-time in the Big Dance.
  • Since 1992, the Wildcats are 117-32 (.785) in postseason play (NCAA, NIT and SEC).
  • Kentucky also leads the country in wins in the tournament since 2010 (20), when John Calipari first led UK into the Big Dance.
  • UK is 20-3 in tournament games under John Calipari.
  • Kentucky is now 2-0 against Cincinnati in the NCAA Tournament. UK defeated Cincinnati in the 2004 NCAA Tournament second round.
  • Kentucky is now 6-0 in the NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed playing a No. 8.
  • The Wildcats are 7-1 in NCAA Tournament games held in Louisville. UK is 4-0 in NCAA Tournament games held in the KFC Yum! Center.

Team Notes

  • Kentucky entered the game as the nation’s top-rated shooting-percentage defense, and the Wildcats held Cincinnati to 31.7 percent from the field.
    • Kentucky is now holding opponents to a combined total shooting percentage of .351.
  • UK held Cincinnati to 51 points. UK is 113-5 under Coach Calipari when holding the opponent to 63 or fewer points.
    • UK is 59-0 under Calipari when limited the opponent to 55 or fewer points, including 21 times this season.
  • Kentucky shot 71.4 percent from the foul line, 20 of 28. Kentucky had the same stats from the free-throw line in the second-round win over Hampton. The Wildcats have made 78 percent at the charity stripe over the last five games (110 of 141).
  • UK trailed for 11:40 seconds. The Wildcats have trailed for only 191:05 of a possible 1,455 minutes this season.
  • Kentucky won bench points today, 18-15. Kentucky has won bench points in all but one game this season (vs. Arkansas, SEC Championship).
    • Cincinnati won bench points 12-6 in the first half.
    • UK outscored UC off the bench 12-3 in the second half.
  • Cincinnati did not attempt a free throw in the first half. UK has held four opponents without a free-throw attempt in the first half this season.
  • Kentucky committed seven turnovers, its 16th game this season with 10 or fewer.

Game Facts

  • Kentucky’s opening lineup featured Andrew Harrison, Aaron Harrison, Trey Lyles, Karl-Anthony Towns and Willie Cauley-Stein for the 17th time this season.
  • Marcus Lee, Devin Booker, Tyler Ulis and Dakari Johnson entered the game at the 15:48 mark.
  • Kentucky started the game 2 of 20 from the floor in the opening 8:03
  • Kentucky’s streak of 936 consecutive games with a 3-pointer was extended when Aaron Harrison connected from deep at the 3:24 mark in the first half.
  • With UK leading 33-30 at the 16:54 mark in the second half, Aaron Harrison was assessed a technical foul. UK went on a 16-7 run over the next 8:03 of the game.
  • Cincinnati won rebounds 45-38. Cincinnati’s 45 rebounds was the second highest total allowed by UK this year (Texas A&M: 52).
  • Kentucky blocked nine shots, compared with six by Cincinnati. Cincinnati’s six blocked shots tied Texas A&M for the most by a UK opponent this season.
  • Cincinnati made two 3-pointers marking the seventh time this season a UK opponent has made two or fewer 3-point shots.

Player Notes

  • Trey Lyles recorded his second-career double-double.

    • He scored 11 points, had a career-high 11 rebounds and added two blocked shots.
    • Lyles recorded more than 10 rebounds for the first time since the win over Columbia (Dec. 10, 2014).
  • Aaron Harrison had a team-high 13 points.

    • He has scored in double figures a team-high 22 times this season.
    • Harrison is now 51 points away from 1,000 for his career.
  • Karl-Anthony Towns had eight points and seven rebounds and a team-high three blocks.

    • He shot 4 of 4 from the free-throw line today. He is 22 of 23 from the free-throw line in the postseason (five games).
    • He is 27 out of his last 28 free-throw attempts.
  • Tyler Ulis had nine points, five assists, three steals and three rebounds.

    • Ulis tied his career high in steals (three) and minutes (34).
    • Ulis has a 24-8 assist-to-turnover ratio in the postseason (five games).
    • Ulis has had three or more assists in eight of the last nine games.
    • He has scored six or more points in a career-long five-consecutive games.
  • Willie Cauley-Stein recorded two blocks.

    • He now has 226 career blocks, which is tied for second all-time in UK history (Melvin Turpin).
    • He has multiple blocks in five consecutive games.

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