MEMPHIS — At suspension, Bluegrass State Coach John Calipari relayed a group of directions to his players. ...
MEMPHIS — At suspension, Bluegrass State Coach John Calipari relayed a group of directions to his players.
MEMPHIS — At suspension, Bluegrass State Coach John Calipari relayed a group of directions to his players.
“Guys, area unit you look this game?” he recalled asking them. “They said, ‘Yeah.’ I said, ‘Good. Then, you recognize we’re taking part in through De’Aaron Fox. the remainder of you are taking a back seat.’”
Sometimes, basketball is straightforward. Such was the case for Bluegrass State on Fri night at FedEx Forum. Fox, a freshman guard, was halfway through eviscerating U.C.L.A. in a very South regional match of the N.C.A.A. tournament, and Calipari reminded his players to continue feeding him the ball. The second-seeded Wildcats heeded that message in Associate in Nursing 86-75 success that place them one game from the ultimate Four.
On Sunday afternoon, Bluegrass State can play top-seeded North geographical region within the regional final.
“I’m trying forward to the sport simply because i prefer my team,” same Calipari, adding: “I’m jacked up. I’ll sleep tonight as a result of I’m previous and I’m tired.”
Fox, a degree guard UN agency filleted a series of defenders on drives to the basket, scored thirty-nine points whereas shooting thirteen of twenty from the ground. Malik Monk, the team’s beginning shooting guard, else twenty one points. each players area unit freshmen.
Fox was hot early, marking Kentucky’s initial eight points.
“After that, I was like, ‘This goes to be a decent night on behalf of me,’” he said.
Lonzo Ball, U.C.L.A.’s star guard, had a quiet night, finishing with ten points and eight assists, and so proclaimed that he would declare for the N.B.A. draft. he's projected to be among the highest few picks.
Calipari came on to create his initial public look in Memphis since then, and he has relished the expertise.
“We’ve got a decent team,” Calipari same. “They share.”
Early on, the game shaped up as a battle between U.C.L.A.’s post players and Kentucky’s hot-shooting guards. T. J. Leaf, a freshman forward, scored 13 points to lead U.C.L.A. in the first half, and Thomas Welsh, the team’s starting center, scored 7 points. Kentucky, meanwhile, turned to Fox, who had 15 points before halftime.
The Wildcats took a 36-33 lead into the break. For two teams that favor an up-tempo style of play, the game was — for those first 20 minutes, at least — a defensive tussle. Consider that when they played each other in December, U.C.L.A. shot 53 percent from the field in a 97-92 victory. The Bruins, more than the Wildcats, want to play fast.
But once play resumed, both teams found extra gears. They combined for 27 points in the first 4 minutes 32 seconds of the second half, or a point every 10 seconds. It was basketball as performance art.
Over on the sideline, Calipari savored every second.
MEMPHIS — At suspension, Bluegrass State Coach John Calipari relayed a group of directions to his players.
“Guys, area unit you look this game?” he recalled asking them. “They said, ‘Yeah.’ I said, ‘Good. Then, you recognize we’re taking part in through De’Aaron Fox. the remainder of you are taking a back seat.’”
Sometimes, basketball is straightforward. Such was the case for Bluegrass State on Fri night at FedEx Forum. Fox, a freshman guard, was halfway through eviscerating U.C.L.A. in a very South regional match of the N.C.A.A. tournament, and Calipari reminded his players to continue feeding him the ball. The second-seeded Wildcats heeded that message in Associate in Nursing 86-75 success that place them one game from the ultimate Four.
On Sunday afternoon, Bluegrass State can play top-seeded North geographical region within the regional final.
“I’m trying forward to the sport simply because i prefer my team,” same Calipari, adding: “I’m jacked up. I’ll sleep tonight as a result of I’m previous and I’m tired.”
Fox, a degree guard UN agency filleted a series of defenders on drives to the basket, scored thirty-nine points whereas shooting thirteen of twenty from the ground. Malik Monk, the team’s beginning shooting guard, else twenty one points. each players area unit freshmen.
Fox was hot early, marking Kentucky’s initial eight points.
“After that, I was like, ‘This goes to be a decent night on behalf of me,’” he said.
Lonzo Ball, U.C.L.A.’s star guard, had a quiet night, finishing with ten points and eight assists, and so proclaimed that he would declare for the N.B.A. draft. he's projected to be among the highest few picks.
Calipari came on to create his initial public look in Memphis since then, and he has relished the expertise.
“We’ve got a decent team,” Calipari same. “They share.”
Early on, the game shaped up as a battle between U.C.L.A.’s post players and Kentucky’s hot-shooting guards. T. J. Leaf, a freshman forward, scored 13 points to lead U.C.L.A. in the first half, and Thomas Welsh, the team’s starting center, scored 7 points. Kentucky, meanwhile, turned to Fox, who had 15 points before halftime.
The Wildcats took a 36-33 lead into the break. For two teams that favor an up-tempo style of play, the game was — for those first 20 minutes, at least — a defensive tussle. Consider that when they played each other in December, U.C.L.A. shot 53 percent from the field in a 97-92 victory. The Bruins, more than the Wildcats, want to play fast.
But once play resumed, both teams found extra gears. They combined for 27 points in the first 4 minutes 32 seconds of the second half, or a point every 10 seconds. It was basketball as performance art.
Over on the sideline, Calipari savored every second.
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