No. 16 Kentucky found itself in a tussle on Saturday. A feisty Yale squad scored the first eight points of the second half to turn a six-point halftime deficit into a two-point lead with 17:37 left in the game.
Kentucky needed something good to happen. So the Cats and head coach John Calipari did exactly what made sense – they got the ball to the defending National Player of the Year, Oscar Tshiebwe.
And, as he did so often for the Cats last season, Tshiebwe delivered. He made a layup, then a dunk to give UK the lead back. He was also fouled on the play and he converted the free throw to extend the lead to 38-35.
But it wasn’t just on offense. On Yale’s next possession, Tshiebwe blocked a shot, corralled the rebound, then ran the floor and was rewarded when CJ Fredrick found the big man inside for a layup.
