The Kentucky Wildcats secured their first win of the NCAA Tournament, overcoming a slow start to dominate Troy 76-57 at Fiserv Forum on Friday night. With this victory, head coach Mark Pope’s team is now just one win away from advancing past the first weekend of March Madness for the first time in six years.
Despite struggling early, Kentucky found their rhythm in the second half, launching a decisive 16-0 run that put the game out of reach. Bench players Collin Chandler and Brandon Garrison played a key role in this stretch, contributing 15 of those points to extend Kentucky’s lead to 61-39. During this period, Troy went nearly six minutes without scoring, unable to respond to the Wildcats’offensive surge.
The Trojans attempted a comeback with a 9-0 run, cutting the deficit to 61-48 and prompting Pope to call a timeout with just over five minutes left. However, Kentucky quickly regained control as Koby Brea sank a crucial three-pointer, followed by Otega Oweh’s emphatic transition dunk. Oweh continued his strong performance, scoring again at the basket to push the lead back to 20 points. He finished as the game’s leading scorer with 20 points, while also contributing eight rebounds and six assists.
Other standout performances for Kentucky included Andrew Carr, who recorded 13 points and three blocks, and Brea, who also added 13 points. Garrison joined them in double figures with 13 points of his own, while Amari Williams dominated the boards with 13 rebounds and four assists. Chandler provided a spark off the bench, scoring all nine of his points in under two minutes to help ignite the game-changing run.
Despite entering the game as 11.5-point favorites, Kentucky fans were cautious, given the team’s history of early exits in recent tournaments. UK had suffered shocking first-round losses as heavy favorites in two of the past three seasons, including a stunning upset against 15-seeded Saint Peter’s in 2022 and last year’s defeat to 14-seeded Oakland.
Looking ahead, Kentucky will face either 6-seeded Illinois or 11-seeded Xavier in the second round on Sunday, with a Sweet 16 berth on the line. This marks Pope’s first NCAA Tournament win as Kentucky’s head coach, a significant milestone after taking over from John Calipari last April. Pope, a captain on Kentucky’s 1996 championship team, previously led Utah Valley and BYU before joining UK.
Though the Wildcats struggled in the opening half, clinging to a 25-24 lead with just over three minutes remaining, they ended the half strong with a 10-0 run. That momentum carried into the second half, setting the stage for their dominant finish. Now, Kentucky will look to build on this victory and make a deep tournament run.
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