Kentucky vs. North Carolina: Final Moments
Kentucky Basketball ends its season to North Carolina. Rebounding could have been the straw that broke the Cats back.
Its never enjoyable when an ex rebounds better than you, even if you broke up with them.
When freshman guard Malik Monk launched that go-ahead three-pointer against the Tarheels inDecember, that was Kentucky Basketball sending them the break-up text. Weneeded it to be over, said, Seeya, and moved on.
But when we met again,UNC forward Kennedy Meeks ripped down 17 boards, helping his team to a healthy 44 (10 more than Kentucky).
Mar 26, 2017; Memphis, TN, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Kennedy Meeks (3) and guard Nate Britt (0) box out against Kentucky Wildcats forward Isaac Humphries (15) in the first half during the finals of the South Regional of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
Free throws were an issueKnow whats cool? Free stuff, including throws of various kinds. Whats more, free often implies easy, and in basketball, an uncontested shot from 15 feet is easy. In theory.
First, UNCs Justin Jackson took the games openingfree throws, and he made two of three. Then, sophomore guard Isaiah Briscoe took Kentuckys first two attempts of the game, but he missed both. It was a sign of things to come, as the Wildcats finished the contest 12-19, and the Tarheels 18-26.
While thats not a monstrous difference as far as percentages go, the biggest takeaway is that all three of Kentuckys starting guards (you know, the fast guys who are supposed to drive the lane and get to the free throw line) shot 50 percent or worse. At the end of the game,Monk was 1-2, Briscoe 1-4 and DeAaron Fox 1-2.
Humphries Midrange Game Kept The Cats in ReachThe instant Isaac Humphries had his first bucket, all of Big Blue Nation collectively thought the same thing: Kentucky hasnt lost a game when Isaac Humphries scores. Maybe we jinxed ourselves.
But the big man from Down Under had himself a great game. He was seemingly automatic from the midrange, and this neat little play shows that Humphries can step even further from the basket:
Did you see that grin at the end? Humphries was cheesin, and hopefully h**l be out there hitting threes next year.
He capped off the evening with 12 points, five rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Big Shot DomWhat a player, what a guy. Senior guard Dominique Hawkins has been such a model teammate over the past four years, and he and fellow senior Derrick Willis deserve our thanks.
He filled in admirably for Fox during the first half, nailing shots and inspiring the crowd. Despite this Elite 8 loss, Hawkins elevated his game all March long, and he proved crucial to the success of Kentucky Basketball.
Hawkins finished with 10 points on 2-3 from downtown and three rebounds. Thank you, Dom. We mean it.
John Calipari and his team did Kentucky Basketball proudWhere success goes, the hate is sure to follow. Its what weve come to expect as Kentucky Basketball fans.
Weve accomplished a lot during Caliparis eight years: six Elite 8s, four Final 4s, two national title games and one NCAA championship. If you ask me, thats pretty d**n good.
Also, who says our freshman dont care?
All of Kentuckys playersfreshman includedfought hard as a team because they wanted to win as a team.
Even though its sad to see this group of young men each go their separate ways, BBN will always look back fondly at this tournament run. It was a h**l of a ride.
Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&ct2=us&usg=AFQjCNEIXz2-gckeOhx7ZJWDPNEolJrnFQ&clid=c3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331&cid=52779434400045&ei=9BbaWLj_B8nP3gHi0YcQ&url=https://wildcatbluenation.com/2017/03/27/good-bad-sad-social-media-reacts-kentucky-basketball-vs-north-carolina/
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