O basquete do Kentucky vence o nono lugar da Carolina do Setentrião e vence

Atlanta

The CBS Sports Classic provided another thrilling game between two blue bloods Saturday.

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Kentucky defeated No. 9-ranked North Carolina 87-83 in Atlanta, the Wildcats leading for nearly the entire game but needing some key plays in the final minutes to close out the win.

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Aaron Bradshaw came up with an offensive rebound and drew a foul with 46.3 seconds left, hitting both free throws to give Kentucky an 85-81 lead. D.J. Wagner and Rob Dillingham both hit jumpers in the final 2:13 of the game to keep Kentucky in front as Carolina was threatening.

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Dillingham hit one of two free throws with 11.9 seconds left to put Kentucky ahead 86-83, and UNC turned the ball over on a miscommunication as soon as the ball crossed halfcourt. Bradshaw then hit one of two free throws to ice the game and set the final score.

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The victory over the Tar Heels was Kentucky’s second over a top-10 team this season. UK also defeated No. 8 Miami in the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge last month, though the Hurricanes have since slipped to No. 24 in the rankings.

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The Wildcats are ranked No. 14 in the current AP Top 25 poll.

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Kentucky trailed for only 16 seconds the entire game, but it looked precarious for the Wildcats during that brief stretch.

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Armando Bacot hit two free throws to give North Carolina a 72-71 lead with 5:15 left, the momentum squarely in UNC’s favor and the Tar Heels’ fans roaring. It ended up being the only advantage they would get.

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Bradshaw put the Wildcats back ahead 73-72 with a putback on the other end, and two consecutive baskets by Dillingham followed — a 6-0 UK run in less than 90 seconds to put Kentucky back on top for good.

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Dillingham led the way for the Wildcats with 17 points, while Wagner added 14, Bradshaw chipped in with 12 and Reed Sheppard scored 11 points. Wagner also had five assists for Kentucky, which improved to 8-2 on the season.

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RJ Davis led North Carolina with 27 points. Bacot, UNC’s preseason All-American center, was held to nine points and six rebounds.

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The first half was particularly frenetic.

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Kentucky made seven of its first 11 shots, Carolina missed eight of its first 11, and the Wildcats led by as many as 11 points midway through the first half. In fact, UK never trailed before halftime. The pace was hot, as expected, but both teams struggled from the field. Kentucky was 14-for-41 in the first half, and UNC was 13-for-31. That one basket was the difference. Both teams made four 3-pointers and eight free throws before the break.

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UK had the biggest momentum swings.

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After going up 11, the Wildcats missed their next 10 shots from the field, and UNC narrowed Kentucky’s lead to just 27-24. UK regrouped from there, and the Cats had their fans rocking — the Kentucky faithful outnumbered UNC backers, but not by much — after Sheppard stole the ball out of Elliot Cadeau’s hands and nailed a 3-pointer in transition to put UK up 37-27 with 4:27 left in the half. UNC missed a 3 on the other end, Sheppard grabbed the rebound, and John Calipari was called for a technical foul as the Cats started to push the ball back up the court.

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The two UNC free throws that followed were both good, and the Tar Heels finished with an 11-3 run to finish the half after Calipari’s technical, cutting Kentucky’s lead to 40-38 at the break.

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Cormac Ryan tied the game at 40 with a driving layup on the first possession of the second half, but Wagner answered with a 3-pointer, igniting a 15-3 UK run.

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Calipari now has an 8-4 record against North Carolina during his time as Kentucky’s head coach.

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Bradshaw starts, Onyenso debuts

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Aaron Bradshaw made his first college start in his third career game Saturday, breaking into UK’s first five in place of sophomore Adou Thiero. That gave the Cats a starting lineup that consisted of D.J. Wagner, Antonio Reeves, Justin Edwards, Tre Mitchell and Bradshaw, who began the game on UNC preseason All-American center Armando Bacot.

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Bradshaw — a 7-1 freshman — played 13 minutes in UK’s upset loss to UNC Wilmington two weeks ago before breaking out with 17 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots in 29 minutes off the bench in Kentucky’s win over Penn last weekend.

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The Wildcats also added 7-foot sophomore Ugonna Onyenso into the mix Saturday, with the second-year player making his season debut off the bench. Onyenso and Bradshaw both suffered foot injuries during the offseason.

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Kentucky’s next game

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The Wildcats will jump from one rival to another, with their next game against the Louisville Cardinals on Thursday in the KFC Yum Center. Coverage is set for 6 p.m. on ESPN.

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U of L is off to a 4-6 start to the season, and the Cards have suffered three straight losses — to Virginia Tech, DePaul and Arkansas State — heading into Sunday’s home game against Pepperdine. Former UK signee Skyy Clark leads Louisville with 16.3 points per game.

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Following the program’s 4-28 record in Kenny Payne’s first year as head coach last season and the lackluster start to the 2023-24 campaign, the former UK assistant’s job status has been in question. U of L will be hosting five-star recruit Karter Knox — also a Wildcats target and the brother of former UK star Kevin Knox — for an official visit this weekend, however.

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The Cardinals came into the weekend at No. 200 nationally in the KenPom ratings.

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Esta história foi publicada originalmente 16 de dezembro de 2023, 20h22.