BOISE, Idaho (AP) Kentucky put an end to any upset talk on its watch Saturday, getting 27 points and a near-perfect shooting game from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in a 95-75 pullaway from 13th-seeded Buffalo.
Gilgeous-Alexander went 10 for 12 and made both of his 3-point attempts to send fifth-seeded Kentucky (26-10) to the Sweet 16 for the second straight season.
Coming into the day, the basketball world was still reverberating from Maryland-Baltimore County's 16 vs. 1 stunner over Virginia the night before. Villanova and Duke both rolled early; the evening slate started with Kentucky, and the Wildcats, with their all-freshman starting lineup, trailed only once: 2-0.
It wasn't a runaway until the last 7 minutes.
Buffalo (27-9), which got here with a 21-point blowout over Arizona, twice trimmed a double-digit lead to five midway through the second half.
Gilgeous-Alexander answered both times - once with a 3-pointer to extend the lead to eight, then again a few minutes later with a three-point play that started a 12-2 run and put the game away.
Hamidou Diallo also went off - going 9 for 12 and scoring all but four of his 22 points in the second half while the Wildcats were turning this one into a laugher.
About that UMBC win - it could impact Kentucky more than you think. With Virginia and Arizona gone, the Wildcats came into the day seeded behind only Cincinnati and Tennessee in the South.
0-FER
Wes Clark had an electric day for the Bulls again, but it wasn't enough. He finished with 26 points but closed his career at 0-5 against the Wildcats. The first four losses came before he transferred away from Missouri.
3s PLEASE
After seeing its record 1,047-game streak of making a 3-pointer come to an end Thursday, Kentucky started all over. Quade Green hit one with 8:26 left in the first half to start anew. And coach John Calipari was proven correct. His team isn't that bad behind the arc. The Wildcats went 7 for 15
NEXT UP
The Wildcats play the winner of Sunday's game between Kansas State and UMBC in Atlanta next Thursday.
https://www.cbssports.com/college-basket...7_BUFF@UK/
Man did Diallo have a party. Wow!
Run Cal off, can’t coach a lick
How bout them Cats?
Spud6 Wrote:Man did Diallo have a party. Wow!
He sure did. I loved the windmill to finish it :biggrin:
OldJacket Wrote:Run Cal off, canât coach a lick
Didn't final four in 4 out of 8 seasons prove that? :biglmao:
pjdoug Wrote:Didn't final four in 4 out of 8 seasons prove that? :biglmao:
HOF coach
hh:
Spud6 Wrote:Man did Diallo have a party. Wow!
Kid played lights out, congrats to him....
Kentucky has beaten a 12 seed and a 13 seed by a combined 25 points. That should silence Calipari's critics who believe that this 'Cats team, which is loaded with talent, has grossly underachieved this season! :lmao:
Seriously, 5 seed UK is not likely to play a team with a better seed until the Elite 8 round. Calipari may be a HOF coach, but let's not mistake an easy road to the Final Four for coaching genius. Sometimes, it is better to be lucky than good.
Hopefully, Diallo's new found confidence will carry over to games against the stronger teams that UK will play soon.
Won 9 of last 10 with 7 of those wins against tournament teams.
For the first time in history, all four top seeds in an NCAA Region were eliminated before the third round of the tournament. Kentucky has beaten a 12 and 13 seed, and will face the 9 seed next. If they get by Kansas State, then they will face either a 7 seed or an 11 seed for a berth in the Final Four.
The top seed remaining in the West Region is #3 Michigan, so Kentucky's road to the NCAA Finals is looking pretty smooth at this point.
Kentucky played arguably their best game all year. If they play like that the rest of the way they'll be tough to beat no matter who they face. However, UK has been so inconsistent this year that when their off they couldn't beat UPIKE! Just have to wait and see what team shows up each game. But they can win this thing.
This is by far the luckiest road to the final four a team has ever experienced.
Hopefully they dont let up and lose to Kansas State or Nevada. Calipari can get one more final four before we dump him and hire Stevens at a premium
nicker:
Farrrrrrrrrr Cal! :biggrin:
In all seriousness, I think this is Cals best coaching job since he has been here at Kentucky. These kids finally figured it out. Are they perfect? No, but they can't be beat when they play their best.
It is simply mind-boggling how the South Regional has fell apart and UK's potential first FF matchup vs. UNC is now eliminated.
Cats need to seize this moment. The bracket has finally swung to UK's advantage.
We have an amazing road to the final four right now, and I don't feel the need to apologize for it. After the match ups we have had in recent years, we are past due!!
Diallo is playing like he started the year. He really needs to keep that up!!
I will feel much better after Syracuse knocks off Duke!!
So, after my post above, I went on to facebook to check out what's going on since I've been out of town. A guy posted the comment I am going to paste below. I love this young man, I don't agree with him 100% of the time, but I highly respect him 100% of the time!! I think his words deserve a repost.
I will try my very best (Lord help me) for this to be my last Coach Cal post, so hear me out. Please tag any Cal bashers.
BBN wanted Tubby out because he couldn't recruit. Billy Clyde wrote his own ticket out of town. BBN called for someone to bring BBN back to the forefront of college hoops where it belongs. To do that, we wanted and needed someone who could bring in the best of the best in recruits.
Insert Cal.
Insert year after year of top 3 recruiting classes with a handful of #1 overall classes.
Insert Elite 8 in 1st season.
Insert a surprise trip to Final Four in 2011.
Insert one of UK's all-time best teams and National Title in 2012.
Insert another Final Four in 2014 and a Championship game.
Insert a 38-0 start and another Final Four in 2015.
Insert 6 SEC Tournament Titles including the last 4.
Insert NO 1st round NCAA Tournament losses.
Insert seven Sweet 16s, six Elite 8s, three Final Fours, two Championship games, and one NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE in 9 seasons!!! (READ THAT ONE AGAIN PLEASE)
In those 9 seasons, please go check the likes of Coach K, Coach Izzo, Coach Williams, etc as far as consistent wins in the tourney.
Call it tradition. Call it expectation levels. Call it just being UK. Call it whatever you like, but most of what I hear from Cal complainers is nothing but folks being spoiled rotten. In an era where a#1 seed is taken down by a #16, none of the top 4 seeds from a region make the Sweet 16, and Loyola Chicago is defeating major conference teams, we need to face some truths. Here are a few..
There is arguably more parity in NCAA Basketball than ever before.
Duke has lost twice in 1st round in past decade to teams named Leheigh and Mercer. Yes, they have 2 titles but have also failed to make Elite 8 in 6 of the seasons Cal has been at UK. (Tradition)
UCLA played in and lost a play-in game to St. Bonaventure. (Tradition)
Kansas has been to one Final Four in 9 years. Lost to Cal and Cats by the way. (Tradition)
UK has more Final Fours, more Elite 8s, and tied with 1 a piece in Titles with UNC since Cal started at UK in 2010. (Tradition)
Michigan State has 2 Final Fours, 0 Titles, and 2 1st round losses in the Cal at UK era. (Tradition)
Do I even go there with Indiana?
Cal consistently takes an almost brand new roster each year and goes through a true grind to reach these high school superstars in a matter of months and teach them how to play defense, as a team, and for each other. All the while, our spoiled rotten (high expectation/we are UK/tradition garbage) fan base continues to question not only his process, but his recruiting style and his overall basketball IQ and Xs and Os.
I am sorry, but I refuse to give all of us a free pass every year once they make the turn and make a run. Shame on us. Shame on everyone who calls for Cal's job after 4 straight SEC losses. Shame on us for questioning his recruitment of the best of the best every year because they'll only be here fpr a year (Didn't we send my man Tubby packing because of the exact opposite?) Maybe you can live with yourself as a "fan" and live behind the "We are UK, we should expect the best and settle for nothing less" excuse.
Bleed Blue, eh? Well, blood only comes out when one is cut or hurt. Maybe you should check the color of your blood next time the Cats are hurting. Are you supporting or complaining? Bleed Blue or hit the road.
Enough is enough. The man is performing miracles before our eyes and we are sadly not even enjoying it.
Maybe we can go get a talent developer and X/O guy like Roy Williams (at the house), Izzo (at the house), Barnes (at the house), and many more.
We complain about our youth feeling entitlement to everything?? I guess NCAA Elite 8s, Final Fours, and National Championships come around every year? Oh yeah, they do at UK, right? What happened between 1958 and 1978? 20 years of NO TITLES. What happened between 1978 and 1996? 18 years of NO TITLES. But yet we should expect a Title every year under Cal, right?
Win, lose, or draw I back Cal and Cats. Always have, always will. Yes, I do miss 4 year seniors. Yes, I would love a National Title every year. But come on, folks. Get real.
Hoot Gibson Wrote:Kentucky has beaten a 12 seed and a 13 seed by a combined 25 points. That should silence Calipari's critics who believe that this 'Cats team, which is loaded with talent, has grossly underachieved this season! :lmao:
Seriously, 5 seed UK is not likely to play a team with a better seed until the Elite 8 round. Calipari may be a HOF coach, but let's not mistake an easy road to the Final Four for coaching genius. Sometimes, it is better to be lucky than good.
Hopefully, Diallo's new found confidence will carry over to games against the stronger teams that UK will play soon.
I thought Ayton and Arizona were rolling toward final four but they got beat by a mediocre Buffalo team I guess. The unbeatable Cavaliers lost to a terrible 16 seed I guess. lol. Kentucky is just flat out playing better right now and yes Calapari is doing a great job coaching them and it's plain to see. give him and the team some credit.
BelfryPride Wrote:Farrrrrrrrrr Cal! :biggrin:
In all seriousness, I think this is Cals best coaching job since he has been here at Kentucky. These kids finally figured it out. Are they perfect? No, but they can't be beat when they play their best.
It is simply mind-boggling how the South Regional has fell apart and UK's potential first FF matchup vs. UNC is now eliminated.
Cats need to seize this moment. The bracket has finally swung to UK's advantage.
Calapari is now laughing at the selection committee
nicker:
Granny Bear Wrote:We have an amazing road to the final four right now, and I don't feel the need to apologize for it. After the match ups we have had in recent years, we are past due!!
Diallo is playing like he started the year. He really needs to keep that up!!
I will feel much better after Syracuse knocks off Duke!!
I will feel better when they both lose.
SEC Tournament Champs, 26 wins, Sweet 16, doesn’t matter how it happened and we might loose the next one, just enjoy the moment...Let’s see where we are at this time next year before we think about running Cal off...
OldJacket Wrote:SEC Tournament Champs, 26 wins, Sweet 16, doesnât matter how it happened and we might loose the next one, just enjoy the moment...Letâs see where we are at this time next year before we think about running Cal off...
I'm in no hurry for him to leave. I love how he fired back at the reporters today saying they hoped we would fail.