It was a game that had been hyped since the brackets came out — before either team had even moved into the third round. For all the hype, the Midwest region round of 32 contest between Kentucky and Wichita State easily could have been a dud. It wasn't. For almost the full 40 minutes, both teams matched each other blow for blow, with the eighth-seeded Wildcats outlasting the top-seeded Shockers, 78-76, on Saturday.
The game was a track meet from the start, and Kentucky trailed 37-31 at the break. After a quick three-pointer by Wichita State's Cleanthony Early to start the second half, the Wildcats flipped the switch. Julius Randle had a putback dunk, Aaron Harrison hit a three and Randle picked up an and-one and the lead was back down to one. UK went ahead on an Alex Poythress layup, but Ron Baker grabbed it back for the Shockers with an and-one.
Walter Cornett, of Glendale, Kentucky, is the owner and operator of Walter's Wildcat World. He founded WildcatWorld.com in 1998 making it one of the oldest Kentucky basketball fan sites in operation today.