That it was even a game in the second half was a minor miracle for Kentucky.
In the end, it didn't really matter.
The No. 13-ranked Wildcats suffered yet another loss to a big-name opponent — falling 63-53 to No. 16 UCLA in Madison Square Garden in New York on Saturday — following a first half in which the Bruins nearly ran away from UK and forced John Calipari to make some drastic changes to his lineup.
When Oscar Tshiebwe stepped to the line to try and finish an and-one play with 14:26 left, a free throw that would have given Kentucky a 41-40 lead, it seemed an improbable scenario after everything that had come before it. And that advantage was never attained. Tshiebwe missed the shot, UCLA scored six straight points in less than a minute on the other end, and the Bruins held off the Wildcats down the stretch.