After everything that had just happened, there was really only one question on anyone’s mind.
Dakari Johnson was the man it was directed to.
“Dakari, how in the hell did you guys win this game?”
How, indeed.
UK had just completed an improbable rally from 13 points down in the first half and seven with less than five minutes to go to take defending national champion Louisville. The Wildcats did it without defensive anchor Willie Cauley-Stein, who exited with an ankle injury early, and with swingman James Young on the bench for the final minutes with five fouls.
After a hearty laugh, Johnson offered a simple reason why UK had just pulled off a 74-69 victory.
“Well, when we were down by seven Alex (Poythress) made a lot of key plays for us,” Johnson said. “I think he played well down the stretch for us. I think he won the game for us.”