MILWAUKEE — Kentucky is making its long-awaited return to the Sweet 16.
The third-seeded Wildcats, who had not advanced beyond the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament since 2019, defeated 6-seed Illinois 84-75 on Sunday at Fiserv Forum to advance in the Midwest Region.
Kentucky (24-11) will face its oldest rival, Tennessee, next week in Indianapolis. The Cats and Vols (2) will be joined by Houston (1) and Purdue (4) at Lucas Oil Stadium.
To get there, Kentucky played one of its best all-around games of the season.
Offensively, the Wildcats shot 47%, went 8-of-21 from the 3-point arc, and tied its season-low for turnovers with five. UK opened the second half by making 11 of its first 12 shots and scoring on 10 straight possessions to turn a five-point halftime lead into a 15-point lead that had the Illini shell-shocked.
“It’s our guys’ mentality to dig into the emotional reservoir and bring it to start the game,” Kentucky head coach Mark Pope said. “… And it was our energy that our guys brought into the beginning of the second half and their intensity that was really important.”
Koby Brea scored a team-high 23 points on 10-of-16 shooting from the field, while Otega Oweh (15) and Lamont Butler (14) also finished in double figures.
But it may have been UK’s effort on the defensive end of the floor that had the biggest impact on the victory. The Cats held a strong Illinois offensive club to just 44% from the field, 28% from the 3-point line, and forced 14 turnovers leading to 26 points.
“That game was decided at the start of the game and the start of the second half,” Illinois head coach Brad Underwood said. “… Twenty-six points off turnovers. Thirteen of the 14 were live-ball.
“But give (Kentucky) credit. I think this is Lamont Butler’s 12th NCAA Tournament game, and I thought he controlled the game on both sides (of the floor).”
Butler had three steals to go along with his 14 points and five assists.
Perhaps his biggest play of the game came with 4:37 remaining after Illinois had trimmed a 15-point Kentucky lead to 10 and had forced a missed shot by the Cats. The Illini grabbed the rebound, but Butler came from behind to steal the ball and hit center Brandon Garrison for a layup that swung momentum back to UK.
“I was behind the play,” Butler said. “It was a rebound that went long, and I was behind (No.) 32. He just dribbled up the floor, not knowing I was right next to him, so I reached and got the steal. I saw it. It was a two-on-one with me and B.G., gave it to him, and he finished the play. And that gave us energy finishing the rest of the game off.”
“He’s a game-changer,” Brea added. “… It completely changed the game in my head. I feel like we got ’em after that.It was a testament to him and how good he is. It was a crazy play.”
Pope said it embodied Butler’s “championship heart” he has often referenced this season. “That was a massive play to stem the tide a little bit.”
Illinois saw its season end at 22-13. Guard Kylan Boswell led the Illini with 23 points, while Tomislav Ivisic, brother of former Cat Zvonimir Ivisic, added 19.
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In this “Rapid Recap” feature, we touch on some quick-hitters from the UK victory…
KEY MOMENT:
Illinois trimmed a 15-point deficit down to 10 with 4:37 remaining and had the predominantly orange-clad crowd thinking a comeback could be in the works when Kentucky’s Lamont Butler may have made the play of the game. The Illini rebounded a UK missed shot and had a chance to cut the margin to seven, but Butler sneaked behind the ballhandler and stole the ball. Center Brandon Garrison streaked to the basket, and Butler hit him with a perfect lob pass for a basket that made it a 12-point margin and put the Cats back in control.
GAME BALL:
Koby Brea, Kentucky — The player who UK head coach Mark Pope calls the best shooter in America lived up to that billing, knocking down 10 of 16 shots en route to a game-high 23 points. He also had six rebounds and a steal, playing some of the best defense he has displayed this season.
BY THE NUMBERS:
1st – Kentucky player (Amari Williams) to record at least eight points, 10 rebounds, six assists, and three blocked shots in an NCAA Tournament game.
5-0 – Kentucky’s record against Illinois in the NCAA Tournament.
7 – SEC teams have advanced to the Sweet 16: UK, Tennessee, Arkansas, Ole Miss, Florida, Alabama, and Auburn.
14 – A season-high in steals for UK, including three apiece for Andrew Carr, Lamont Butler, and Collin Chandler.
26-8 – Kentucky’s advantage in points off turnovers. The Cats forced 14 Illini miscues.
27th – Game of the season for UK’s Koby Brea hitting multiple 3-pointers. He went 3-for-8 as part of his team-high 23 points.
32nd – Double-figure scoring game of the season for the Cats’ Otega Oweh, who scored 15 points.
QUOTABLE:
“I’ve never seen — and I haven’t dug into the data, so somebody check it for me — but I’ve never seen a team that has gone from 112 to 45 (in the defensive efficiency ranking) in the last six weeks of a season. I’ve never seen it, and that is a credit to our guys. Gives you a sense of our players.” — UK head coach Mark Pope on the Cats’ defensive improvement late in the season.
UP NEXT:
Kentucky returns to action next Friday in Indianapolis, where the Wildcats will face their oldest rivals, the Tennessee Volunteers, in the Sweet 16. The Cats won both regular-season meetings against the Vols this season. Tip-off time and TV designation will be announced soon.
