Miami advances to their first Elite Eight in history after a tough battle against Kentucky
(24-9) 77 #4 @ #1 84 (35-1)
Miami #5 Davon Reed was the X-factor of this game as he made numerous big shots including this fadeaway over Kentucky #1 Sacha Killeya-Jones and #3 Bam Adebayo
Starting Lineups:
Kentucky | Miami
De'Aaron Fox
-PG- Tavon Cash
Isaiah Briscoe
-SG- Davon Reed
Derek Willis
-SF- Rashad Muhammad
Wenyen Gabriel
-PF- Dewan Huell
Sacha Killeya-Jones
-C- Kamari Murphy
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Madison Square Garden. New York, NY. - Tavon Cash played against very few, if any, elite defenders this season, but tonight he had to deal with fellow potential lottery pick De'Aaron Fox. Unlike Virginia Tech's Jedi defense, Fox was playing legitimate defense against Cash. Fox pestered his matchup the whole night, forcing 7 turnovers on Cash and getting 3 steals as a result. Nevertheless, Cash still got the better of Fox as he still finished with 12 points on 4 of 6 shooting and 16 assists.
After the first half, the game looked like it was going to Kentucky's favor. From their tenacious halfcourt trap defense forcing turnover after turnover to Isaiah Briscoe playing like how Malik Monk should be playing like, Calipari and the Wildcats should be the ones going to the Elite Eight; however, Miami guard Davon Reed disagreed. Getting into foul trouble early in the first half, Reed made up for lost time by playing like it was last game. Pull three in transition? Goes in. Down by 3-5 points? Get a steal. Need to seal the game? Shoot over the defender's face. If you needed Davon Reed to do something, he did just that in the second half. The senior starting guard finished with a game-high 21 points along with 6 rebounds, 1 assist, and 4 steals.
Who's next for the Canes? A rematch with Duke or a dance with #2 Xavier?
Kentucky | 38 | 39 || 77
Miami | 31 | 53 || 84
Kentucky Wildcats
Isaiah Briscoe: 19 pts, 2 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 7/14 FG, 1/5 3PT, 4/4 FT
Sacha Killeya-Jones: 16 pts, 8 reb, 2 stl, 2 blk, 8/15 FG
Derek Willis: 13 pts, 2 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl, 5/13 FG, 0/2 3PT, 3/3 FT
Wenyen Gabriel: 12 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl, 2 blk, 6/11 FG, 0/1 FT
De'Aaron Fox: 7 pts, 2 reb, 8 ast, 3 stl, 3/3 FG, 1/1 FT
Miami Hurricanes
Davon Reed: 21 pts, 6 reb, 1 ast, 4 stl, 8/10 FG, 2/4 3PT, 3/4 FT
Dewan Huell: 19 pts, 5 reb, 2 blk, 9/19 FG, 1/2 FT
Rashad Muhammad: 13 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl, 5/7 FG, 2/3 3PT, 1/2 FT
Tavon Cash: 12 pts, 2 reb, 16 ast, 4 stl, 4/6 FG, 0/1 3PT, 4/6 FT
Hibbert Player of the Game: John Calipari: Barely played Monk and Bam
Next Game: Elite Eight