Men’s Basketball Postgame Notes
Kentucky vs. Wichita State – NCAA Tournament Second Round
March 19, 2017, Bankers Life Fieldhouse, IndianapolisAttendance: 18,293
Final Score: No. 2-seed Kentucky 65, No. 10-seed Wichita State 62
Team Records and Series Notes:
· Kentucky has won 13 in a row – its longest winning streak of the season -- and improved to 31-5 overall.
o Kentucky reached 31 wins for the fourth time in the John Calipari era.
o UK’s winning streak is the longest active streak in the country after snapping Wichita State’s nation-leading 16-game streak.
· Wichita State concluded the season 31-5.
· Kentucky leads all-time series 2-0. Both games occurred in the NCAA Tournament Second Round.
· Next for the Wildcats: UK will play in the NCAA South Regional Semifinal in Memphis on Friday.
NCAA Tournament Notes:
· Kentucky made its national-record 56th NCAA Tournament.
· Kentucky reached the Sweet 16 for the 25th time 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), tied with Duke for the second-most appearances. (Duke is playing South Carolina for a Sweet 16 berth later on Sunday).
· UK owns a 123-49 record all-time in NCAA action.
· Kentucky is 25-5 (.833) in NCAA Tournament games under Calipari.
· In Calipari’s seven NCAA Tournament appearances with Kentucky, the Wildcats have reached the Sweet 16 on six occasions.
· Kentucky is a No. 2 seed for the seventh time in program history.
o UK is 21-6 as the No. 2 seed.
o Kentucky improved to 3-0 as a No. 2 seed against a No. 10.
In the First Half:
· Kentucky’s starting lineup featured De’Aaron Fox, Bam Adebayo, Malik Monk, Isaiah Briscoe and Derek Willis for the sixth game in a row.
o Kentucky improved to 9-0 with that lineup.
o Adebayo is the only Wildcat to have started all 36 games on the season.
· Briscoe swished a 3-pointer with 11:00 left, continuing UK’s streak of 1,011 games with at least one triple. That’s the longest streak in the country.
· Kentucky went on a 10-2 run over 3:34 to take a 14-8 lead at the 9:37 mark. That was UK’s largest lead.
· Wichita State fought right back. The Shockers’ largest lead was by three with 2:57 to play in the second half.
· Kentucky led 26-24 at the break.
In the Second Half:
· After Wichita State edged ahead in the early going, Kentucky used a 7-0 run over 2:51 to take a 40-37 lead and force a Wichita State timeout with 13:07 on the clock.
o Wichita State’s last lead of the game came at the 15:58 mark.
· Kentucky took its largest lead of the game, seven: 58-51 at the 4:01 mark.
o Wichita State scored the next five points to get within two with 2:30 to play.
· Monk and Zach Brown then traded 3s. Then WSU’s Landry Shamet answered a Fox dunk with a 3 to close within one of UK at 63-62 with 55 seconds remaining.
· The Shockers got no closer as Monk knocked down two free throws with 10 seconds to play.
· Monk and Adebayo blocked Wichita State’s attempts on its last two offensive possessions, respectively.
Team Notes:
· Kentucky’s 65 points was its season low.
o UK’s 23 made field goals tied its season low for the sixth time.
· Kentucky committed a season-low 11 fouls.
· Wichita State’s 14 fouls were the fewest by a UK opponent this year.
· Wichita State scored 62 points. UK is 21-0 this season when opponents score 72 or fewer points.
o During UK’s 13-game winning streak, it has held opponents to 70 points or less 10 times.
· WSU shot 38.7 percent from the field. UK is 19-0 this season when the opponent shoots less than 43 percent.
· Kentucky shot 41.8 percent from the field.
o Just shy of 42 percent, Kentucky entered 28-1 this season when shooting at least the 42-percent threshold.
· Kentucky won steals 6-2.
o The two-teams tied with two steals apiece in the first half.
· Calipari has a 693-192 (.783) on-court record, including a 248-52 (.827) mark at UK.
· Kentucky improved to 146-5 under Calipari when holding the opponent under 63 points.
Player Notes:
· Freshman De’Aaron Fox tied Malik Monk for the team-lead with 14 points.
· Fox led Kentucky in scoring for the fifth straight game.
· Freshman Bam Adebayo had his eighth double-double of the year – 13 points, 10 rebounds.
· His 28 rebounds through the first two rounds are the most ever by a Wildcat in his first two NCAA Tournament games (originally noted by the SEC Network).
· Per ESPN Stats and Information he became the second UK player since tournament expansion in 1985 with a double-double in each of his first two NCAA Tournament games (Julius Randle 2014).
· He became the third Kentucky player overall to have double-doubles in each of his first two NCAA Tournament games (1951 Frank Ramsey).
· He has two double-doubles in a row, three double-doubles in the last five games, and five in the last nine.
· He is averaging a double-double during UK’s 13-game winning streak (13.8 points, 10.5 rebounds).
· With four dunks he now has 98 on the season, which is the Calipari-era record.
· Freshman Malik Monk tallied 14 points, tied with Fox for the team high.
· With his two free throws in the final seconds he tied and then passed Jamal Murray for the Kentucky freshman season scoring record. He has scored 721 points this season.
· He reached double-figures for the fourth game in a row, and has scored in double digits in 34 of 36 games this year.
· Senior Derek Willis was solid all around once again.
· He scored nine points, grabbed eight rebounds, had a season-high and career-high-tying three steals, and blocked a shot.
· He has 17 blocks over the last seven games.
· Senior Dominique Hawkins scored seven points – all in the first half.
· It was tied for the fifth-most points he has scored this season.
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