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Kentucky rebounded from last week’s loss to Notre Dame with a dominant 98-69 victory over North Carolina at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
These teams weren’t originally slated to cross paths in Sin City. However, Ohio State and UCLA were forced to back out of their games because of COVID-19-related issues. That set up a rematch between the Tar Heels and 21st-ranked Wildcats almost a year to the day of UNC’s 75-63 victory over UK last December.
Kentucky’s holdovers from last season’s squad seemed to have revenge firmly on their minds. John Calipari’s squad jumped out to a 23-8 lead midway through the first half and didn’t look back.
Notable Performers
Sahvir Wheeler, G, Kentucky: 26 points, three rebounds, six assists, four steals
Oscar Tshiebwe, F, Kentucky: 16 points, 12 rebounds, one assist
Armando Bacot, F, North Carolina: 22 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, one block
Wheeler Leads the Way for UK
Sahvir Wheeler wasn’t even a member of the Wildcats roster, but the junior looked like he was carrying a chip on his shoulder against North Carolina on Saturday. Finishing with three points in the defeat to the Fighting Irish probably had something to do with that.
Wheeler surpassed his scoring average (9.9 points) by halftime after shooting 7-of-10 from the floor and putting up 14 points.
Dick Vitale @DickieV
Wow what a fantastic start by <a href=”https://twitter.com/UKCoachCalipari?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@UKCoachCalipari</a> ‘s <a href=”https://twitter.com/KentuckyMBB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@KentuckyMBB</a> team vs <a href=”https://twitter.com/UNC_Basketball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@UNC_Basketball</a> / this doesn’t look like the team that got beat last week by BD . <a href=”https://twitter.com/sahvir?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@sahvir</a> Wheeler has been superb / gr8 bounce back from last game . Lead UNC 29-14
The 5’9″ guard was routinely getting into the paint, which spoke to a major advantage Kentucky enjoyed throughout the game. The Wildcats out-rebounded North Carolina 44-26 and scored 54 points in the paint.
The Heels didn’t have much answer for Oscar Tshiebwe, who would’ve put up bigger numbers were it not for his foul trouble in the first half.
His work on the glass helped extend possessions (four offensive rebounds) and deny North Carolina second chances. He also bullied UNC defenders around the basket when he had the ball in his hands.
Responding to setbacks wasn’t something Kentucky did well in 2020-21. The team had losing streaks of six, three, four and two games before falling to Mississippi State in the SEC tournament to bring the campaign to a conclusion. Perhaps the messages from Calipari weren’t resonating with his players as much anymore.
This year’s Wildcats squad has clearly turned the page on last year.
Bacot’s One-Man Show Not Enough for UNC
North Carolina had 29 points in the first half, and Armando Bacot accounted for 17 of them. Caleb Love, who entered as the team’s leading scorer (16.2 points), missed all five of his shot attempts and was held scoreless.
The Tar Heels’ deficit would’ve been far bigger than 11 points had it not been for the effort of Bacot.
UNC entered halftime with some momentum after having shaved five points off what was Kentucky’s 16-point lead with 2:14 left in the first half. But two quick buckets from Wheeler and Kellan Grady undid that progress to open the second half, and UK’s lead swelled to 18 points inside the first four minutes.
Little went right for the Tar Heels as they were comprehensively beaten on both ends of the court.
That 21-point win over Michigan on Dec. 1 might have been a bit of a mirage.
What’s Next?
North Carolina hosts Appalachian State on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET. Kentucky faces off with in-state rival Louisville on Wednesday at 6 p.m. ET.
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