Kentucky basketball shows it can win with toughness, grit in beating No. 9 North Carolina
ATLANTA — As tempers flared, players dived on the floor seemingly every possession and fouls — technical, flagrant and personal — were handed out like candy, No. 15 Kentucky showcased a trait Saturday evening at State Farm Arena it hadn’t exhibited this season.
It won not because of its normally high-flying offense. Instead, UK topped No. 9 North Carolina via toughness and grit, earning a hard-fought 87-83 victory in the CBS Sports Classic.
"They balled," Kentucky coach John Calipari said. "I'm telling you, (North Carolina) is a veteran team that came in with one idea: They were going to be physical with us. That's what they did. And you know what? We held our own.
"This is a group of young, talented basketball players who still are — we're not near where we should be or where we will be. But I'm kind of liking where we are at this stage of the season."
The Wildcats’ shots clanked off the iron more often than not, as they made only 41.7% (30 for 72) of their field goal attempts Saturday.
It ran counter to Kentucky’s first nine games this season, when it punished opponents with lethal offense; it entered Saturday averaging 90.6 points per contest (the sixth-best figure in Division I). In UK’s seven previous victories, offensive excellence came as easily as breathing; the Wildcats (8-2) scored 81 points, or more, in each of those outings. Though Kentucky eclipsed that mark again Saturday, its performance at the free-throw line (19 of 26; 73.1%) saved the day with its shooting from the field off the mark.
In the Wildcats’ two setbacks, their defense (giving up 89 points to then-top-ranked Kansas in the Champions Classic in Chicago) or offensive struggles (they scored just 73 in a stunning home setback to UNC Wilmington earlier this month) paved the road to defeat.
Not Saturday.
While offensive issues were evident, particularly on point-blank shots— Kentucky missed 16 of its 24 layups, per the official stats, compared with UNC’s 10-of-17 effort — UK's defense stepped up. It recorded nine blocks and seven steals against the Tar Heels (7-3) — no slouches themselves offensively, boasting the ACC’s best offense (85.1 points per game) this season.
Kentucky also won the battle of the boards, 42-32, despite squaring off with one of the nation's best rebounders, UNC big man Armando Bacot. He averaged 11.9 rebounds per game; he grabbed just six Saturday.
"This was a game you had to fight," Calipari said. "You had to be a dog. Or you were getting chomped on."
Which is why the Wildcats ended on the right side of the scoreboard, Hubert Davis said.
"Kentucky was tougher than us in the trenches," said Davis, in his third season as the Tar Heels' coach. "And in order to win games like that, you have to win the battle in the paint. Whether it's rebounding, loose balls, finishing around the basket, you have to win those individual battles — and we did not in terms of rebounding — and that's why we lost the game."
No Wildcat embodied the mettle the team displayed Saturday more than Adou Thiero. The 6-foot-8 sophomore guard, coming off the bench for the first time this season with five-star freshman 7-footer Aaron Bradshaw taking his place in the lineup, did a little bit of everything for UK, a throwback to last season, when he’d come off the bench and go full tilt in short, spirited bursts.
In 17 minutes Saturday, Thiero posted a 7-point, 1-rebound, 2-assist and (a game-high) 4-block line. Not to mention countless hustle plays not reflected on the stat sheet.
Senior forward Tre Mitchell was in awe of Thiero. After the game, Mitchell hugged his teammate.
"He accepted whatever Cal said, and he came in there and made an immediate impact," Mitchell said. "I mean, he literally — like, he lifted us off the floor. The energy that he brought and the plays he's made, it's second to none. Just to be able to adjust to that switch-up he had? He still gave it his all every second he was out there."
While Thiero took care of the dirty work, the freshman quartet of Rob Dillingham, Reed Sheppard, D.J. Wagner and Bradshaw shouldered the scoring load, combining for 54 points; Dillingham led the way with 17, followed by Wagner (14), Bradshaw (12) and Sheppard (11).
"My dad always wanted me to go to Carolina," said Dillingham, a native of Hickory, North Carolina. "I mean, I take every game personal, so I just look at it as another game for us.
"But I'm happy we got the 'W.'"
It mirrored Calipari's emotions afterward. Though he admitted his team was "lucky" to pull out a win against a more veteran-laden UNC club, Calipari will never apologize for a victory.
"They've sacrificed for each other. You want them to feel that," he said. "But I'll tell you: on CBS, on national television, to make the plays they made at the end to win the game shows you what they are."
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Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky vs North Carolina basketball: John Calipari's team shows grit
