Wow, what a game! In the much anticipated matchup between UK and UC, the Wildcats pulled out the hard fought victory. Surprisingly, the ‘Cats stormed out of the gate, opening up with an 11-0 lead at the start of the game. UC didn’t back down, though, and by halftime the Bearcats had a 2 point lead. A friend of mine who was rooting for UC called at halftime to rub it in. I made sure he realized that it was only a 2pt lead, and there was still plenty of game left. Tubby must have had a good talk with the boys at halftime, because UK pulled things together in the second half, going on a 9-2 run to take the lead for good. UC kept it close most of the time, but in the end, they were no match for the Wildcats, as the Bearcats were held to one basket in the final 6 minutes.

Two of the freshman, guard Rondo and center Morris, both starters, showed that they could deal with tournament pressure even though they lacked experience. Rondo scored 16 and had 7 assists. Morris finished with 11 points and 12 rebounds, holding his own against a much more physical team. Remarkably, the ‘Cats dominated in the paint, outscoring UC 34-12. Junior forward Azubuike also had an awesome game with 19 points.

The attendance of 40,331 set a one-session record for any NCAA subregional site.

The game was everything that we expected it to be, and I’m sure glad we came out on top. Utah is up next. Go Cats!!!