Kentucky surprises Ohio State to move on to the Elite 8 against UNC
Kentucky will try to reverse its luck from last year’s devastating Elite 8 loss to West Virginia, as the Wildcats advanced with a dramatic win over Ohio State, and now must face a North Carolina team who have beaten Kentucky two previous times in tournament play. Both in the Round of Eight.
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#4 Kentucky (28-8, 10-6 SEC) vs. vs. #2 North Carolina (28-7, 14-2 ACC)
Date/Time: Sunday, March 27, 5:05 PM EST
Venue: Prudential Center in Newark, NJ.
Broadcast: CBS
Money Line: Kentucky -125, North Carolina +105
Spread: Kentucky -1 ½
Over/Under: 146
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The Wildcats earned their trip to the East Regional Finals at the Prudential Center in Newark on Sunday, beating the top–seeded Buckeyes 62-60, on Brandon Knight’s winning jumper with 5.4 seconds left.
Knight didn’t have his best night from the field and was just 3-10, but just like against Princeton in the tournament opener, he came up big.
While Knight’s heroics got most of the postgame attention, the Wildcats would not have survived if not for the solid play of senior big, Josh Harrellson, who did a good job of matching Ohio’s Jared Sullinger, with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and three huge blocks.
Kentucky did a good job of holding the Buckeyes to just 19-58 (.328) from the field and swarmed the 3-point line allowing just 6-17 (.353) from long range, while winning the shooting battle going 22-48 (.458).
Meanwhile, North Carolina waltzed into the Elite 8 for the 18th time since 1975 with an 18-point win Friday night over Marquette. It was the school’s 10th consecutive Sweet 16 win and third-largest margin of victory in a Round of 16 or later game under head coach Roy Williams.
The Tar Heels trio of John Henson, Tyler Zeller, and Harrison Barnes exposed a smaller Marquette squad, strengthening their case to be heralded as one of if not the best frontline in this year’s tournament. They combined to score 61 points, hauled in 33 rebounds, and blocked seven shots against Marquette, who simply couldn’t match up with them.
Zeller had 27 points and a career-high 15 rebounds and became the first Tar Heel with a 25-15 game in the NCAA tournament since Brendan Haywood in 2000.
North Carolina’s team defense suffocated the Golden Eagles, holding them to just 36.5 percent from the field, 12 percent from deep while forcing 18 turnovers. It was Marquette’s third-worst shooting performance of the season.
The Wildcats will need to clog up the interior against the Heels, and must find away to slow down Zeller, Barnes and Henson offensively. They will also need to crack a very good North Carolina defense, using their 3-point prowess to put points on the board.
Prediction: While I’d like to lean towards the Wildcats after their inspiring win over Ohio State, I think the sheer size of the North Carolina frontcourt may be enough to edge out a very close affair.
The odds makers have the Kentucky Wildcats as a -1.5 point favorite with an over/under of 145.
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