Veterans lead Kentucky past Providence in NCAA opener

Just one week removed from falling to Vanderbilt in the Southeastern Conference Tournament, Kentucky has taken in redemption this Friday night. And the Cats’ veterans made sure England didn’t squander the opportunity.

Senior Antonio Reeves led all scorers with 22 points as sixth-seeded Kentucky defeated No. 11 seed Providence 61-53 in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament on Saturday at Greensboro Coliseum.

Reeves got a lot of help from his senior teammates. Jacob Toppin had 18 points and six rebounds, while Oscar Tshiebwe only had eight points, but grabbed 25 rebounds, etching his name even more into the UK record book.

Tshiebwe topped the rebound mark by a British player in an NCAA Tournament game, which came on this day in 1956 when Jerry Bird had 24 rebounds in Kentucky’s 89-77 win over Iowa in the NCAA Midwest Regional Final in Iowa City. Tshiebwe’s 25 rebounds were three short of his career high of 28 that came last year against Western Kentucky. His 25 rebounds on Friday night were the eighth most by a UK player in a game in school history.

Kentucky (22-11) was able to redeem itself from an early exit in the SEC Tournament last week. The Cats will now face the winner of Kansas State-Montana State to play later on Friday.

For Toppin, Tshiebwe and the rest of England’s veterans, this victory also put last year’s defeat at Saint Peter’s in the rearview mirror.

The Cats also did an outstanding job on Providence leading scorer, and former Wildcat, Bryce Hopkins. Toppin pulled the lion’s share of the defensive duties and he, with the support of his teammates, held Hopkins to seven points, below his average of 16.1 points per outing.

The game is a story of two parts. The first half was a fast-paced affair with plenty of scoring. Reeves had 14 points and Toppin 12 as Kentucky took a 38-31 advantage into halftime.

The second half was a bit more defensive. Kentucky made just seven of 28 field goals in the second half, while Providence made just eight of 27 (29.6 percent). UK outshot Providence 23-22 in the second half. Providence’s 53 points were the fewest by a UK opponent since UK held West Virginia to 39 in 2015.

Until Next Time

Times and TV networks for Sunday’s Kentucky game will be announced at a later date.