The Kentucky Wildcats now have the most victories in NCAA tournament history with 103 following their victory over the West Virginia Mountaineers. John Calipari’s squad lost all the momentum going into halftime, giving up a 22-7 run and trailing by eight points at the break, but came out of the locker room with a new found intensity.
Four minutes into the second half, the Wildcats had a one point lead over the Mountaineers who led by eight, and the teams battled back and forth throughout the second half.
Late in the second, Kentucky’s size and rebounding took over. West Virginia’s offense was simply over-aggressive and inefficient, and Kentucky got some big minutes from Brandon Knight. The freshman sensation finished with a career high 30 points and was 9-10 from the free throw line.
For West Virginia, Joe Mazulla had a fantastic game, shooting 7-12 from the field on his way to 20 points. Forward Darryl Bryant was also in double figures for the Mountaineers, and he finished the game with 15 points, 9 of which came from beyond the arc.
SEC Freshman of the year Terrence Jones had a double double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, and was a key contributor in the win.
Kentucky will advance to the Sweet Sixteen to face off against the winner of Ohio State and George Mason, which will be played on Sunday.