RECAP: Kentucky headed to Sweet 16 after dispatching pesky Buffalo
Kentucky is headed to the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16 for the seventh time in nine years under head coach John Calipari.
The fifth-seeded Wildcats advanced with a 95-75 win over South Region underdog Buffalo, who knocked off Arizona on Thursday to earn a matchup with UK.
Kentucky (26-10) closed the game with a 23-8 run that turned a tense matchup into a romp. Ten of those points came courtesy of redshirt freshman guard Hamidou Diallo, who finished with a career-high 22 points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots.
The young Cats, whose inexperience was questioned by Buffalo heading into the matchup, also got a game-high 27 points, six rebounds and six assists from freshman point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
"We've been getting that all year. We're too young; we're not experienced enough," Diallo said. "We just came out and tried to prove everybody wrong. That's what we did today."
The duo's heroics repeatedly silenced the largely pro-Buffalo crowd hoping to see another major upset at Taco Bell Arena in Boise, Idaho.
"This whole group is a bunch of competitors... We all love playing when the crowd is against us," Gilgeous-Alexander said.
Sophomore forward Wenyen Gabriel also had a big performance off the bench for UK, scoring 16 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. He made two key 3-pointers midway through the second half, the first to push the Cats' lead back to eight after Buffalo had closed to within 57-52, and the second to help put the game away with under three minutes to go.
Thirteen seed Buffalo (27-9) got a dynamic effort from senior guard Wes Clark, who scored 26 points and dished out six assists to keep the Bulls close for most of the game. C.J. Massinburg added 18 points and eight rebounds for the MAC champs.
"You've got to give Kentucky a ton of credit," Buffalo coach Nate Oats said. "... They have more length all over the place. And I think it affected our shooting. Usually we shoot a lot better. We were 7-for-31 from the 3. A lot of that had to do with Kentucky's length and just challenging shots.
"They're a great defensive team. Cal has them playing really well at the right time in the year. They've won 10 of their last 11, and we ran into a buzz saw tonight."
In this Cats Illustrated "Rapid Recap" feature, we touch on some quick-hitters from the UK victory...
THE GOOD:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been one of the nation's top players since the postseason began. His steadying influence on the Cats is a huge advantage at that position for the remainder of March Madness. It's difficult to imagine another team holding the position edge against UK from here on out. Getting huge contributions from Hamidou Diallo and Wenyen Gabriel make the Cats a really difficult matchup for anyone.
THE BAD:
Kentucky has experienced some issues with the first segment of the second half coming out of the locker room. The Cats led 51-42 at the break, but allowed a 10-1 run by the Bulls to make the game dangerously tight once again.
THE UGLY:
At halftime, one could feel the absence of injured UK forward Jarred Vanderbilt. The Bulls had their best interior player, Ikenna Smart, saddled with three fouls early in the game, but trailed by only two on the glass at halftime. Buffalo had 11 offensive rebounds at the break, turning them into 16 second-chance points. To its credit, UK allowed only three offensive rebounds and two second-chance points in the second half.
GAME BALL:
Hamidou Diallo, Kentucky -- Gilgeous-Alexander had another impressive line with 27 points, six rebounds and six assists, but Big Blue Nation will forever remember this game as Diallo's long-awaited breakout performance. The redshirt freshman has struggled for most of the season but continued to earn the trust of his coaches. They were rewarded with a 22-point, eight-rebound, two-block effort against Buffalo. Even with Gilgeous-Alexander's strong showing, the Cats may not advance without Diallo's huge game.
BY THE NUMBERS:
7-for-31 - Buffalo's 3-point shooting (22.6 percent) against UK's No. 4 national arc defense after making 15 of 30 against Arizona.
:15 - Seconds with the lead for Buffalo, at 2-0.
28-6 - Calipari's record in NCAA Tournament games at UK.
42-30 - The Cats' final rebounding advantage after leading by only two at halftime.
56.3 - UK shooting percentage from the field. Cats are 14-1 when shooting better than 50 percent.
93 - Combined points for UK and Buffalo in the first half, the most in any game of the NCAA Tournament to date.
QUOTABLE:
"The reason this has been the most rewarding season I've had in over 30 -- however many I've done this -- is what's happening for Wenyen, what's happening for Hami. You saw what he is and what he's capable of today... All year, I was trying to learn about him, and he was trying to learn about me. We were trying to figure this out. Everybody said, 'Why are you starting him?' Because he deserves it, I love him, and he's going to do this. It just took him a long time. Wenyen, the same." -- UK coach John Calipari
UP NEXT:
The Cats advance to Atlanta for the Sweet 16 for the 26th time since 1975. UK will face the winner of the UMBC-Kansas State game. The 16th-seeded Retrievers made NCAA Tournament history on Friday when they beat No. 1 overall seed Virginia, the first time a 16 has ever eliminated a 1. Ninth-seeded Kansas State advanced with a win over Creighton.