Shocker report: Kentucky 65, Wichita State 62

Wichita State vs. Kentucky: Final Moments
Sundays box score

KENTUCKY 65, WICHITA ST. 62

Wichita St.

Min

FG-A

FT-A

R

A

F

Pt

Brown

28

3-6

1-2

8

1

2

9

McDuffie

32

2-9

0-0

4

3

2

5

Morris

28

5-10

1-2

8

2

2

11

Frankamp

25

2-8

0-0

1

0

0

6

Shamet

34

7-14

4-5

2

2

4

20

Kelly

22

2-7

0-0

6

2

2

4

Reaves

9

1-1

0-0

1

0

0

3

Da.Willis

8

1-4

0-0

1

2

0

2

Nurger

8

1-3

0-0

3

0

1

2

Smith

6

0-0

0-0

1

0

0

0

Totals

200

24-62

6-9

35

12

13

62

Percentages: FG .387, FT .667. 3-Point Goals: 8-24, .333 (Brown 2-3, Frankamp 2-6, Shamet 2-7, Reaves 1-1, McDuffie 1-6, Nurger 0-1). Team Rebounds: 3. Team Turnovers: 11 (0 PTS). Blocked Shots: 5 (Morris 3, Da.Willis, McDuffie). Turnovers: 11 (Brown 4, Morris 2, Smith 2, Frankamp, Kelly, Nurger). Steals: 2 (McDuffie, Shamet). Technical Fouls: None.

Kentucky

Min

FG-A

FT-A

R

A

F

Pt

Adebayo

31

6-11

1-4

10

1

1

13

De.Willis

33

3-6

1-2

8

1

3

9

Briscoe

27

2-3

0-0

4

2

1

5

Fox

31

5-12

4-6

2

1

3

14

Monk

29

3-11

6-6

2

4

1

14

Mulder

10

1-2

0-0

1

2

0

3

Humphries

9

0-1

0-0

2

0

0

0

Gabriel

7

0-5

0-0

2

0

0

0

Hawkins

23

3-4

0-0

0

0

2

7

Totals

200

23-55

12-18

31

11

11

65

Percentages: FG .418, FT .667. 3-Point Goals: 7-18, .389 (Monk 2-5, De.Willis 2-5, Briscoe 1-2, Hawkins 1-2, Mulder 1-2, Fox 0-1, Gabriel 0-1). Team Rebounds: 5. Team Turnovers: 7 (0 PTS). Blocked Shots: 4 (Monk 2, Adebayo, De.Willis, Mulder). Turnovers: 7 (Briscoe 3, Fox 2, Humphries, Monk). Steals: 6 (De.Willis 3, Fox 2, adebayo). technical fouls: none.

wichita St.

24

38

62

Kentucky

26

39

65

Bam vs. Shaq

Wichita States Shaq Morris enjoyed his 28 minutes, most of them spent jostling with Kentucky freshman Bam Adebayo, 6-foot-10 and 260 pounds.

Morris picked up three fouls, a small price to pay for his performance and the feeling of freedom.

First time Ive went against somebody where we could actually bang against each other, Morris said. Hes a great player and the refs let us be physical.

Adebayo scored 13 points, 11 in the second half, and grabbed 10 rebounds. Morris scored 11 points and grabbed eight rebounds.

Break down the zone

Kentucky guard DeAaron Fox is blazing fast and he turned on the jets for big baskets twice in the second half.

The Shockers cut the lead to 61-58 on a three by Zach Brown and switched to a zone defense. Fox drove past Landry Shamet while Morris had his back turned while guarding Adebayo and lobbied for a three-second call for a dunk.

I think they got in the 1-3-1, some type of defense, Fox said. I saw nobody behind my defender. Most of the time, Im not looking at the guy guarding me. When I saw there was nobody there and I had a clear lane, I just took it.

Earlier, Fox gave Kentucky a 58-51 lead when he jumped into the passing lane for a steal and sped in for a dunk.

Hes an NBA guard, Shamet said. Theyve got a couple of them. Hes pretty versatile. Played him more as a driver, so you kind of knew when he wanted to get to the rim and play off the dribble.

Establish limits for Wildcats

Wichita State held Kentucky to its lowest point total of the season.

The Wildcats made 23 shots, matching five other games.

That is good enough defense to win against a team with three players (Adebayo, Fox and Malik Monk) projected as first-round NBA Draft picks.

The game plan was just to stay in front, WSU forward Markis McDuffie said. They were going to be very aggressive each play. That is why a lot of people were tired. They were going at us every play.

Slow start stings

Wichita State survived poor shooting in the first half to trail 26-24.

The Shockers missed 23 of their 33 shots and eight of their 11 three-pointers. They hadnt played a team with elite athletic ability since November and it showed.

While Kentucky offered up more open shots than Dayton on Friday, it bothered the Shockers with its length. The Wildcats blocked two shots in the first half and altered many others by forcing the Shockers into awkward shots.

I wish we could have started better, Wichita State forward Rashard Kelly said. We didnt stick to our usual routine from the very beginning and play within ourselves. We made the game bigger than it was.

Morris carried them with eight points and five rebounds in the first half. He fouled once, which allowed him to play 11 minutes. WSU made him the focus of the offense in the opening minutes and the Wildcats double-teamed him to take the ball out of his hands.

Reaves will undergo surgery

WSU freshman guard Austin Reaves will undergo surgery to repair the labrum in his right shoulder now that the season is complete, he said.

Dislocations sidelined him three times this season. He missed two games in late January and early February after dislocating the shoulder.

He missed a game in late November after dislocating the shoulder against Michigan State. He returned eight days later to play at Colorado State. He also injured the shoulder during fall practices, limiting his workouts for around a week.

Reaves, from Newark, Ark., had his right shoulder repaired late in his sophomore year in high school. The right shoulder dislocated for the first time during his sophomore season in high school when an opponent landed on him during a chase for a loose ball.

Reaves had surgery to repair the labrums in both shoulders in the past four years. Last March, he underwent surgery on the left shoulder. That recovery kept him from practicing and lifting weights most of the summer.

Worth noting

Wichita State is 18-15 in 14 NCAA Tournament appearances. Kentucky is 123-49 in its 56 NCAA appearances (No. 57, in 1988, was vacated). Sundays game marked the second time for 30-win teams to meet during the NCAA Tournaments first weekend. In 2008, Tennessee (30-4) defeated Butler (30-3) in the second round. Sunday night, Cincinnati-UCLA marked the third time for 30-win teams to meet. The Wildcats lead the series 2-0, both meetings in NCAA play. Actress and Kentucky fan Ashley Judd sat near the court opposite the Kentucky bench. Brown made 2 of 3 three-pointers and went 5 for 6 in two NCAA games. The Shockers made 14 of 44 threes (31.8 percent) in the two games, far below its season mark of 40.8 percent.

Paul Suellentrop

Source: http://www.kansas.com/sports/college/wichita-state/article139551393.html