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The Wildcats had a 15 point lead at the half, but the Tar Heels climbed back in it, thanks to some UK miscues and John Wall leaving the game with cramps. Still, UNC didn't have enough at the end.
SB Nation’s Kentucky blog, A Sea Of Blue, is thrilled with the win, but expected more after halftime.
For Kentucky, this represents a very good win that could have been great — not because of anything the Tar Heels did, but because UK did not appear to come out ready in the second half. Combined with John Wall’s apparent dehydration (I have no doubt he went to the locker room to take an IV), Kentucky and North Carolina literally swapped places at halftime. With UK at 43 points going into the half, who would have believed they would only score 25 points in the second half?
Truzenzuzex has plenty of observations on individual Wildcats, so be sure to head over and check them out.
Freshman sensation John Wall had 16 points, seven assists and five rebounds and three steals for the Wildcats (8-0), but also had seven turnovers and missed the early part of the second half with cramps.
Darnell Dodson and Eric Bledsoe each scored nine for Kentucky, which held a 19-point lead in the first half and pulled out the victory to snap a five-game losing streak against North Carolina. The Wildcats’ last win in this series, between the two winningest teams in college basketball history, came in January 2004.
Deon Thompson ended with 14 points and nine boards for the Tar Heels (7-2), who had won their last three, including a win over Michigan State on Tuesday. Will Graves sank 4-of-7 three-pointers and ended with 13 points, while Tyler Zeller scored 10.
The Tar Heels trailed by double digits for most of the first half, but used a 10-0 run shortly into the second to start to get back in the game.
Thompson fueled the rally with five points, and Ed Davis’ jumper ended it to cut North Carolina’s deficit to 45-38. Later in the half, UNC had seven consecutive points, the last coming on a three from David Wear with under 10 minutes left to make it 54-49.
The Tar Heels continued to get closer, and a Zeller layup with 4 1/2 minutes left ended a five-point burst to get them within 59-56.
But neither team scored on its next few possessions, and with 2:31 to go, Bledsoe made two free throws. After a missed three from Larry Drew II at the other end, Wall stole the ball from Davis and raced up the court on a fast break. He was tripped, and Bledsoe got open for an easy layup under the basket on the ensuing inbound, making it a 63-56 game with 1:55 to go.
The Tar Heels, however, countered with a three in transition from Graves, and after a Kentucky turnover, Thompson hit a short baseline jumper with 32.4 seconds on the clock to bring UNC within a basket.
But the Tar Heels got no closer, as Bledsoe made two free throws with 30.5 to go, then sank 1-of-2 after Graves missed a three. Wall made a pair in the final seconds to seal the victory.
North Carolina got off to a 9-2 lead, but the Wildcats came back with a 28-2 run to take control. Kentucky rattled off 16 consecutive points to start it, as each basket elicited progressively greater cheers from the home crowd. Wall had an underhand, reverse layup during the stretch, and later dished to Darius Miller for a three that put Kentucky ahead 18-9.
After Drew stopped the rally briefly with a jumper, Kentucky poured in 12 more points. Patterson, who totaled eight points during the stretch, made two free throws for a 30-11 contest with under nine minutes left.
The lead still stood at a game-high 19 when Wall’s jumper made it 39-20 with under five minutes left, but the Tar Heels trimmed their deficit down the stretch.
A free throw from John Henson got UNC within 12 with just over a minute left, but Patterson sank a three to cap the first-half scoring and give Kentucky a 43-28 advantage at the break.
UNC still leads all-time series, 21-11…Kentucky’s last win in the series came on January 3, 2004, in Lexington…Davis ended with 10 rebounds and nine points for the Tar Heels.
- Via Sports Network
Carolina Blue visits the Land of the Bluegrass Saturday afternoon for a battle between the two programs who have won the most games in college basketball history. After starting the season with seven straight wins, No. 5 Kentucky has1,995 wins, good for first all-time. No. 10 North Carolina is just behind them in second with 1,991.
But the story of this year's game between the Tar Heels and Wildcats isn't tradition, it's youth. SB Nation's North Carolina site, Carolina March, says the Heels have a slight experience edge onover Kentucky.
The other thing about Kentucky is that they are, shockingly, younger than the Heels. Three of their top six players by minutes-played being freshmen, and another two sophomores. UNC, for all the freshmen they put out on the floor, still start two seniors, two sophomores, and a junior. If you're going to take on a talented team (and they are packed with raw talent) like the Wildcats, the best time to do so is early in the season when they haven't faced much adversity.
A Sea of Blue, has an amazingly detailed and interactive preview of today's game that you really need to check out.
No, really. Go NOW!
For all of the attention John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins have received during the early season, this will be their first legitimate national television appearance. UNC's youngsters, featuring John Henson and the Wear twins, have already been on ESPN or ESPN2 alone three times.
No. 5 Kentucky 68, No. 10 North Carolina 66
The Tar Heels came back in the second half, thanks to John Wall's departure with cramps and some UK miscues, but they couldn't do enough.
Tar Heel game discussion at Carolina March
Wildcat game discussion at A Sea of Blue
For more on today's other televised matchups, check out my rundown over at Blogging the Bracket.
Carolina March: Looking For The Bright Side Of A Tough Loss
Our Tar Heel blog, Carolina March, is looking for a silver lining after a disappointing performance. Even though UNC showed signs of life in the second half, T.H. says the Tar Heels could have done much more.
Dec 05 3:41p by Chris Dobbertean - 0 comments