Since the schedule came out, the Kentucky and North Carolina match up was the most highly-anticipated game on the docket. With all of the future NBA prospects playing in the game, the match-up certainly lived up the the hype.
With Kentucky up one point in the final seconds of the game, the Tarheels had a chance to take the final shot with a chance to take the lead and get the victory. As North Carolina forward John Henson faded away on the baseline in front of his own bench, Anthony Davis recorded the biggest block of his career to seal the deal and give Kentucky a 73-72 victory over the fifth ranked Tarheels.
Davis didn’t have his best game, and he struggled to get open looks, but when they needed him the most, he showed up. He hit a big turnaround jump hook late in the second half for his seventh point of the game, and added just his second block with the game-clinching stuff. But fellow freshman Michael Kidd-Gilchrist shined for the Wildcats down the stretch. Kidd-Gilchrist finished with a career-high 17 points and 11 rebounds.
The combination of Kidd-Gilchrist and Terrence Jones combined for 31 points, and while Kidd-Gilchrist was the closer, Jones kept the Wildcats in the game in the first half. Jones was the main scoring option for Kentucky in the opening frame.
For North Carolina, they were without their best player in Harrison Barnes for a big chunk of the first half. Barnes picked up his third foul in the middle of the first half, yet the Wildcats were unable to take advantage of his absence. The Tarheels were able to makeup for Barnes’ production by their scorching hot shooting from three-point land. Kentucky, who has had trouble defending the three, was bitten by their inability to stay with their man and closeout.
Kentucky’s calling card all season had been their ability to defend and ware down inferior opponents, but they had yet to play a team of UNC’s caliber. North Carolina was the aggressor on the defensive end as they gave Kentucky fits in the half court offense and blocked several of Kentucky’s shots.
With UNC hitting on all cylinders and unable to miss from downtown, Kentucky trailed just 43-38 at the half.
The second half was equally as exciting as the first with the game virtually neck and neck the whole way. Kentucky got big contributions from Darius Miller and Doron Lamb in key situations. Miller stepped up as a senior and helped lead a struggling offense, and ignited them with a couple of threes and some big scores on the interior. Lamb was instrumental in running the point with Marquis Teague struggling, and the offense thrived with Lamb at the helm. After scoring just two points in the first half, Lamb finished the game with 14 points. Kidd-Gilchrist also shined in the second half, scoring nine of his 14 points in the second frame.
North Carolina continued their hot shooting from behind the line and ended up 11-18 from three. However, they were just 25-60 from the field as the Kentucky defense stepped up and UNC offense grew tired. With both teams playing their starters for most of the game, each team fought through fatigue to give their teams a chance in the end.
As time wound down and Kentucky led by four, Reggie Bullock cut the the Kentucky lead to one at 73-72 with 49 seconds left with another three. Teague then penetrated and got fouled with Kentucky in the bonus and went to the line to try to make it a two and potentially a three-point game. Teague missed the front end, North Carolina drove and they found Henson in the corner. Henson elevated, faded, and released. Davis left his man, jumped, and got a piece of the shot, came down with it, and the rest is history. North Carolina did not foul with six second left, and the Cats walked away with a 73-72 victory.
With the win, Kentucky will keep their ranking as the top team in the nation, passing every test thrown at them thus far in the season. Kentucky (8-0) will face a good Indiana team next Saturday in Bloomington at 5:15 p.m.