Davidson College: Wildcats Claw at Kentucky in Near Upset

Davidson comes up just short in their 78-73 loss to Kentucky. Here are what can be taken away from this game.

Davidson came into their game with Kentucky knowing they would face a young Kentucky team, who at times, have played their age. The Wildcats from North Carolina fought back from a 10 point deficit twice but they ran out of gas at the end.

The first half started slowly for both teams. An Oskar Michelsen three-pointer gave Davidson their last lead at 8-6. After Peyton Aldridge tied the game at 17, Kentucky would go on a 13-2 run. PJ Washington and Kevin Knox would score eight points combined during the run.

Down ten at halftime, Davidson fought back. Joel Axel Gudmundsson came out of the locker room hot scoring seven early points as the Wildcats cut the lead down to three by the first media timeout. Davidson would eventually tie the game at 52 after another Gudmundsson three-pointer.

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The game stayed close until Kentucky made the game-defining run. With Davidson down two, Rusty Reigel hit the side of the backboard on what would’ve been the game leading three-pointer. Reigel would follow the missed shot with a foul in the backcourt.

Knox would hit two free throws and follow it up with a jump shot. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander would hit five straight free throws and the Kentucky lead grew to 11 points. Davidson would never get closer than six points.

Keys to the Game:

No “Knox” Against the Freshmen

Kentucky’s Kevin Knox didn’t show any stage fright in his first NCAA Tournament game. All the freshman did was go 8-16 from the floor, 7-9 from the free throw line for 26 points. He lived off the baseline jumper off the flex screen. Every shot Knox made tonight came below the free throw line from the baseline or baseline extended.

When it wasn’t Knox making the big play, it was fellow freshman Gilgeous-Alexander. Though his numbers weren’t as robust as Knox’, he hit the big shots at the end. His 5-13 shooting from the floor was easily overshadowed by his 9-10 shooting night from the free throw line.

Knox and Gilgeous-Alexander carried Kentucky in the second half. Quade Green’s jumper with 4:30 minutes left was the Wildcat to score other than the talented duo. The pair scored Kentucky’s last 17 points of the game.

Kellan Grady’s Rough Night

Grady was coming off a dream conference tournament that ended with him making the Atlantic 10 all-tournament team. The freshman wasn’t as fortunate in his first NCAA tournament game. Grady was bothered by Kentucky’s length all night. Their length forced the usually efficient Grady into a 4-14 shooting night, including 1-5 from the three-point line. Davidson could’ve overcome the tough shooting night from the three-point line if Grady wasn’t 3-8 in the lane. His patented teardrop was met by two or three Kentucky defenders in the lane.

Next: Top 100 impact players of the 2018 NCAA Tournament

Peyton’s Place

Unlike most of Davidson’s opponents, Kentucky didn’t double Aldridge most of the night. Kentucky’s ability to force Aldridge into a bad shooting night was key to not allowing his supporting cast to get started. Not only did Aldridge shoot 4-17 (1-9 from three) but he only grabbed three rebounds.

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Davidson Basketball: Takeaways from the Wildcats close loss to Kentucky

By Marcus Washington | Mar 16, 2018