JUSTIN ROWLAND:

I don't think this was a "must win" for the program, but I'm glad we aren't moderating these message boards after a loss tonight. Kentucky showed a lot of fight tonight. The Cats were cold at times. Providence, not known for its defense, did play fairly well on that end of the court. But UK got enough offense from Antonio Reeves and Jacob Toppin, with Oscar Tshiebwe having one of his very best, most impressive rebounding performance as a Wildcat. That's saying something. Kentucky had chances to put this away earlier but all that matters is surviving and advancing. They'll have a solid shot in the next round, too.

DAVID SISK:

This was a physical, defensive battle. It was the type of game John Calipari was comfortable with. They held Providence to 36.2% shooting and 51 points. I thought this was was one of the best games they’ve had this season and rim protection. The Friars had an angle to the rim several times only to have the shot blocked. Kentucky was +16 on the boards, and they had 18 offensive rebounds. In the end, Providence couldn’t shoot outside, Antonio Reeves could, and the frontline of Oscar Tshiebwe and Jacob Toppin combined for 26 points and 31 rebounds. Tonight, Kentucky was rewarded for playing hard.

TRAVIS GRAF:

It was an ugly game, but the good news for Kentucky is they’re built to win rock fights and have proven that so far this season. Jacob Toppin continues his strong play and has been looking like the guy we all expected preseason. Oscar was a beast on the boards, and Antonio Reeves did what he had to do for this team to keep advancing — hit shots. Cason Wallace ran the show well, but he will need to score more in later rounds. Kentucky won a tournament game for the first time since 2019 so that’s a weight off of Calipari’s and the fan base’s shoulders.

JEFF DRUMMOND:

I was a little skeptical when John Calipari said he was trying to go into this NCAA Tournament with a "looser," fun approach. This game was an excellent test of that strategy, a low-scoring, ugly affair, and I think it worked. Calipari was nowhere near as uptight as I've seen him in other postseason games, most notably last year's stunning loss to Saint Peters. Antonio Reeves was huge once he got that first bucket to drop, and Oscar Tshiebwe looked like the national player of the year version of himself with a UK postseason record 25 rebounds. He had 10 before the second media timeout of this game, something I've never seen done. Just incredible effort and determination. Jacob Toppin was really solid, too, and maybe the biggest beneficiary of Cal's "looser" mindset. So it's on to the Round of 32 and we can finally put that "no tourney wins since..." narrative in the past.