Weekend thrillers are becoming a trend for Kentucky Basketball. On Saturday, the Wildcats came through with their greatest achievement of the season via a 80-72 win over the North Carolina Tar Heels. With tip-off set in Chicago’s United Center, Kentucky was seen as a two-point underdog in the CBS Sports Classic matchup.
However, behind stellar efforts from all five starters, head coach John Calipari and his team jumped out early and never looked back against one of their historic rivals.
After a 40-31 half-time lead, courtesy of Reid Travis’s 16 points on nine shots, the Wildcats were a bit sluggish to start the second half. North Carolina cut Kentucky’s lead to six early on, which didn’t seem to sit well with Calipari.
However, behind the defensive efforts from Ashton Hagans (seven steals) and game-high 23 points from Keldon Johnson, the Wildcats held their grip in a 40-41 second half affair.
Travis finished with 20 points for the Wildcats, while also grabbing six rebounds and dishing out three assists. Hagans added seven points, four rebounds and three assists to his seven steals.
Tyler Herro struggled to shoot the ball (6-17 shooting) but managed to score 15 points and dish out five assists.
The real team effort, though, came from sophomore forward PJ Washington. Early on in the season, Washington was looked at as one of the team’s most consistent scorers. However, on Saturday, Washington was used as the team’s lead facilitator.
The sophomore posted a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds but also recorded eight assists. His play-making with Travis inside the paint set up multiple open three-point shots for the Wildcats outside.
Saturday’s win comes at a significant time for the Wildcats, as they will regroup after the holiday and make their trip to Louisville to face a chippy Cardinals team. The game will be no easy task, as the KFC Yum Center will present a tall task of its own.
However, if Saturday’s game showed fans anything, it was the starters’ ability to play together and execute on both ends late in games.