Oweh scores 20 points as third-seeded Kentucky beats Troy 76-57 in the NCAA Tournament
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Otega Oweh scored 20 points, Andrew Carr had 13 and third-seeded Kentucky beat Troy 76-57 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday.
Oweh added eight assists and six rebounds, and Amari Williams grabbed 13 boards for Kentucky.
Next up for the Wildcats (23-11) in the Midwest Region is the winner of Illinois versus Xavier.
“It’s a big relief, winning that first game. The first game’s always tough,” Kentucky guard Lamont Butler said. “Now we’re moving on to the next game. We have to win that one and move on to the Sweet 16.”
Kentucky also was a No. 3 seed last year when it lost 80-76 to 14th-seeded Oakland in the first round. But it has turned over its roster since that Oakland game, and it had no major issues against Troy this time around.
“For me, also, I’m fighting so hard to keep bringing myself back to not taking on the magnitude of the history of all the things that are just too big and all turn out to be distractions,” said Kentucky coach Mark Pope, who was hired last April.
“I was really proud of our guys just being able to lose themselves in this moment. I thought they did a wonderful job of being fully present and understanding that this is everything we want.”
Myles Rigsby scored 14 points for the Trojans (23-11), champions of the Sun Belt Conference. Tayton Conerway had 12.
“We didn’t play our best basketball tonight but what they did the last three or four weeks is absolutely amazing,” Troy coach Scott Cross said. “We thought that we could do it. We believed we could do it. This is one of the best teams I’ve ever been a part of.”
Despite the loss, Conerway said playing in the NCAA tourney fulfilled a dream.
“This is the type of stuff you dream about in the driveway, now your actually under the big lights,” he said.
The Sun Belt player of the year also praised Cross for recruiting him from the junior college ranks.
“Not a lot of coaches gave me a chance,” Conerway said. “Coach Cross gave me a chance to let me come out here and show what I can do and I’ll always appreciate him for that.”
Takeaways
Troy: The Trojans made just their third appearance in the NCAA Tournament and first since 2017, when they were a 15 seed and lost to Duke 87-65. Troy first appeared in the tourney in 2003.
Kentucky: The Wildcats have made more appearances (63) and played more games (186) in the NCAA Tournament than any other program, with eight national titles, their last in 2012.
Key moment
Kentucky had a 25-24 lead with 3:03 left in the first half when it started to pull away, scoring eight consecutive points in a little more than a minute. Trent Noah and Carr made back-to-back 3-pointers, and Williams drove the length of the court for a dunk.
Playing with pain
Butler logged 25 minutes while continuing to deal with a shoulder injury. Butler, who failed to score, originally missed six games with the injury in mid-January. He suffered a separate injury in the same shoulder during Kentucky’s win over Oklahoma in the second round of the SEC tournament.
“I got through the whole game. I’m grateful for that,” he said. “I was a little frustrated on the offensive side. I didn’t have my best game but I tried to impact the game in different ways.”
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By RICH ROVITO
Associated Press
