North Carolina loses its second straight.
UNC lost a very ugly game to Kentucky. 17 turnovers was a killer, and although North Carolina kept it close, they didn’t do enough. The Heels are one of the oldest teams in the country, while Kentucky is one of the youngest.
First Half
It was all Kentucky for the first 10 minutes. UNC turned the ball over early and often and couldn’t hit open shots. After North Carolina cut a Wildcat 11-point lead to 6, turnovers plagued the team again. North Carolina couldn’t control the ball, and it led to easy buckets. Another issue? Athleticism. Kentucky showed it off, skying for spiking blocks multiple times. UNC looked scared to finish near the rim. That all changed with two minutes to go in the half. The Tar Heels used a huge run to cut the lead to two heading into the half.
Second Half
After a Cormac Ryan layup tied the game at 40, North Carolina went back into turnover mode. On top of that, not contesting shots and not hustling to loose balls put Kentucky back up by 12. When you are at a major size disadvantage, those three things can’t happen. Another big UNC run gave the Heels their first lead of the night. The Wildcats and Heels then went blow for blow, both teams scoring big buckets. RJ Davis caught fire late, but it wasn’t enough. Kentucky’s Aaron Bradshaw, who was originally called for his fifth foul earlier in the game (switched to DJ Wagner), made some big plays down the stretch. Ultimately, the Tar Heels couldn’t overcome their turnover issues and lost by four.
Final: UNC-83 Kentucky- 87
Story of the Game
Turnovers. Fitting that down three, with a chance to tie, a turnover ended the Heels chances.
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