UK Taking Same Approach into Sweet 16
ATLANTA – A week ago, Kentucky was the underdog. The Wildcats, to advance, had trendy national title sleeper pick Arizona and top overall seed Virginia in their path.
Now, Kentucky is the favorite. The Wildcats, arriving in Atlanta, are the top remaining seed in the South Regional.
Ask about that, though, and you’re likely to get a shrug of the shoulders. UK’s label might have changed, but not its approach.
“None of that is affecting how we play,” Sacha Killeya-Jones said. “None of that is affecting our mindset going into games.”
Once under the radar, fifth-seeded UK (26-10) – according to most – would need to be upset to not reach the Final Four. That begins on Thursday when Kentucky takes on No. 9 seed Kansas State (24-11) at approximately 9:37 p.m. ET at Philips Arena in Atlanta. But though UK might have the edge in seed line in this Sweet 16 battle of Wildcats, that won’t matter a lick come tipoff.
“Where they’re seeded, who cares,” John Calipari said. “If they come out and play well, do you think I’m thinking about, they’re an 8 seed or a 7 or a 9, whatever it is? It doesn’t matter. This is a basketball game of two teams that are still standing that will fight until the death to win a basketball game.”
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| Kentucky vs. Kansas State | ||
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Sat., March 22 – 9:49 p.m. ET |
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| Coverage | ||
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TV: CBS |
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| UK | 2017-18 Team Stats | KSU |
| 26-10 | Record | 24-11 |
| 10-8 | Conference Record | 10-8 |
| 77.3 | PPG | 71.6 |
| 70.5 | Opp PPG | 66.9 |
| .474 | FG% | .470 |
| .405 | Opp FG% | .423 |
| 38.6 | RPG | 30.8 |
| .360 | 3PT FG% | .343 |
| .298 | Opp 3PT FG% | .327 |
| .701 | FT% | .735 |
| 13.4 | APG | 14.0 |
| 5.6 | SPG | 7.9 |
| 4.8 | BPG | 3.0 |
The good news for UK is the Wildcats have plenty of experience blocking out outside noise.
Barely a month ago, some had left Kentucky for dead. The Cats were in the midst of a four-game losing streak and talk of UK missing the NCAA Tournament had begun to bubble up.
Another instance of times changing and the Wildcats keeping the same approach.
“Obviously nobody expected the upsets as have happened,” Killeya-Jones said, “but over the course of the year we’ve heard the whole country tell us we’re not this and we’re not that and then we win games, exceed expectations, beat teams they say we can’t beat. Now all of a sudden we’re the best team.”
UK heard plenty about supposedly being the best team left in the South Region on Wednesday, with media crowding the team’s locker room for pregame interviews. The Cats dutifully fielded all questions, but that was about it.
“Nobody in our locker room has listened to media all year,” Killeya-Jones said. “No offense to y’all, but we’re not listening to anybody. We’re just worried about what’s going on with us. We’re worried about studying and doing our homework for the next game.”
UK’s goal in that studying is to prepare for a Kansas State team that won two games last weekend as well. Bruce Weber’s team won 10 games in the rugged Big 12 and fended off challenges from Creighton and UMBC to advance.
“I know they’re a physical team,” Wenyen Gabriel said. “They play in a good league. They’ve got some good wins. We know they’re going to come out here and they’re going to fight. They’ve got a chip on their shoulders, so we gotta bring it if you’re going to come and advance.”
Kansas State has the nation’s 20th-ranked defense according to kenpom.com and it was on display last weekend in holding its two opponents to an average of 51 points. The Wildcats were particularly impressive against Creighton, holding the Blue Jays to 59 points – tied for their fewest of the season.
Kansas State also prefers a deliberate pace, ranking 303rd nationally in adjusted tempo, and will want to force UK into long offensive possessions. Fortunately for UK, Coach Cal’s team is well practiced adjusting from game to game. For example, UK won a 62-49 decision in a 58-possession game against Georgia in its first Southeastern Conference Tournament game. Then, to advance to the Sweet 16, UK raced past Buffalo 95-75 in a game that featured 74 possessions.
“They’re a defensive team, obviously, and we also pride ourselves on being a good defensive team,” Killeya-Jones said. “I think our offense is starting to come along the last couple weeks, but if they want to play a defensive grind or a defensive standoff then we can do that. But if they want to get up and down the court and try to score 100 points, we can do that too. We’ll see how it goes.”
Similarly, Coach Cal is eager to find out how his team will respond as the lights get brighter and the pressure mounts in the tournament.
“We’re excited to be here still playing,” Calipari said. “My challenge is making sure these kids don’t drink that poison, that poison being we have an easy road. There are no easy roads in this tournament. If they drink that poison, we’ll be done Thursday. If they don’t drink the poison, it’ll be a dogfight on Thursday, and let’s see what happens.”
Cats Race Past Buffalo into Sweet 16
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-seed Buffalo at Taco Bell Arena. UK (26-10) shot 56.3 percent and scored its 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 Calipari 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 of 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 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.”
NOTABLES:
• Kentucky’s 95 points were the third most it has scored this year and its 36 made field goals were its second most
• Gilgeous-Alexander and Diallo combined to go 19 of 24 from the floor
• Gabriel’s double-double was his first of the season and second of his career
• Diallo’s 22 points were one off his career high and most since scoring 23 vs. Monmouth on Dec. 9
• Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 21.8 points, 6.6 assists, 5.8 rebounds and 2.2 steals in the postseason
• Gilgeous-Alexander scoring 17 points in the first half, reaching double figures in the first 20 minutes for the fifth time in the last seven games
• UK has held five straight opponents to 40 percent or less for the second time this season
• The Wildcats have shot 50 percent or better in four straight games, its best streak since doing it seven straight times last season
Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament
Kentucky is making its nation-leading 57th all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 2018 (58 on-court appearances as the 1988 appearance was vacated) and its 26th Sweet 16 appearance since 1975 (the first year that all teams in the tournament were required to win at least one game to advance to the Sweet 16). That’s the second-most appearances in the country.
The Wildcats were selected as the No. 5 seed in the South Region and downed No. 12-seed Davidson 78-73 in the opening-round game before rolling Buffalo 95-75 in the second round. The Wildcats will play Kansas State, the No. 9 seed in the region, on Thursday in the Sweet 16 after K-State defeated No. 8 seed Creighton 69-59 in the first round and No. 16 seed UMBC 50-43 on Sunday.
UK has advanced to the Sweet 16 in seven of John Calipari’s nine seasons and have won the previous six under Coach Cal. No other school has as many Sweet 16 appearances as the Wildcats since Calipari took the reins. Calipari is 11-2 all-time in Sweet 16 games. Extending beyond Calipari, Kentucky has won its last eight appearances in the Sweet 16.
This is the second time in program history the Wildcats have earned a No. 5 seed in the annual event. The only previous time was in 2000 when the Wildcats played in Cleveland, defeating St. Bonaventure 85-80 in overtime in the first round before falling to fourth-seeded Syracuse in the second round, 52-50.
UK owns a 126-50 record all-time in NCAA action, with its .716 winning percentage the fifth best in NCAA history. This is the fifth straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament for the Wildcats.
Kentucky owns a 9-0 record all-time vs. Kansas State and 2-0 mark in the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats defeated K-State in the opening round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament en route to a magical run to the title game.
Kansas State has played its last three games without its leading scorer, Dean Wade, due to a foot injury. He averages 16.5 points per game. His status for Thursday is uncertain. The Wildcats of Manhattan have two other players averaging double figures in Barry Brown and Xavier Sneed.
Kentucky is 28-6 (.824) in NCAA Tournament games under the direction of Calipari. Calipari is 53-17 (.757) as a head coach in NCAA Tournament games.
Chaos in South Region
How do you define chaos? See the South Region.
Kentucky, the No. 5 seed in the region, is the highest remaining team headed to Atlanta. The remaining seeds left are a five (UK), a seven (Nevada), a nine (Kansas State) and an 11 (Loyola (Chicago)). According to the NCAA, it’s the first time a region in the Sweet 16 has failed to feature at least one of the top four seeds.
The Wildcats certainly hope to end Cinderella’s story in Atlanta. A brief look at UK’s history vs. the three teams standing in the way of UK and a Final Four:
• Kansas State – UK owns a 9-0 all-time record, a 2-0 mark in the NCAA Tournament and defeated Kansas State in the opening round of the 2014 tourney
• Nevada – Never met
• Loyola (Chicago) – Kentucky leads the series 4-3 but the two schools haven’t played since UK lost 100-91 in 1964 in their lone NCAA Tournament meeting
