For nearly a half, 14th-seeded Troy went toe-to-toe with No. 3 Kentucky in Friday night’s NCAA Tournament first-round matchup at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, using tough defense to stay within a point late in the first half.
Then, the Wildcats’ size and talent took over. Kentucky suffocated Troy defensively, turning stops into transition buckets and burying 3-pointers to fuel decisive scoring runs. The Trojans, making their third-ever tournament appearance, couldn’t keep pace, falling 76-57.
“One of the best seasons I’ve been a part of,” Troy coach Scott Cross said. “In fact, it’s the first time in my career that we’ve won both conference championship and tournament championship.
“So, these guys came together at the right time. We didn’t play our best basketball tonight, but what they did during the last three or four weeks is absolutely amazing. We thought that we could do it. We believed we could do it.”
Troy came out swinging, trading blows with Kentucky through much of the first half. The two teams were knotted at 19 with 7:35 to go before halftime, and the Trojans trailed by just one with just over three minutes remaining. But that’s when the momentum shifted.
Kentucky closed the half on a 10-0 run to create separation before Jackson Fields buried a 3-pointer with 45 seconds left to stop the bleeding and send the Trojans into the locker room down 35-27. Fields led Troy with seven first-half points, but the Trojans struggled to find a rhythm offensively, shooting just 33.3% from the field.
The Wildcats extended their lead to 11 early in the second half, but Troy responded with a quick 5-0 burst to pull within six and briefly regain some momentum. It didn’t last. Kentucky responded with a knockout 16-0 run to blow the game open and take a commanding 61-39 lead.
Troy never got closer than 13 the rest of the way. The Trojans shot just 34.9% from the field despite a strong effort from Myles Rigsby, who finished with a team-high 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting.
“Kentucky’s a really good basketball team, and the size obviously affected us a lot,” Cross said. “I think we were able to get some good looks off the pick and roll, but you go right in and have got a 7-footer shot blocker sitting in the paint, and that’s hard to deal with. When you kick it out and your 3s aren’t falling, it makes it difficult to score baskets.”
Otega Oweh led Kentucky, turning in a game-high 20 points with eight rebounds and six assists in a do-it-all performance. He was one of four Wildcats to score in double figures, joined by Koby Brea, Andrew Carr and Brandon Garrison, who each added 13 points.
As a team, Kentucky shot 47.5% from the field, pulling away in the second half with efficient, balanced scoring.
“The Troy defense is terrific,” Kentucky coach Mark Pope said. “They’re a great defensive team. They’re incredibly disruptive. They’re the number 7 steals team in the country. They’re really disruptive, changing defenses all the time.
“Ton of credit to Troy, though. A great team that’s had a great season. Scott does an unbelievable job. Those guys fought like crazy. They’re a really, really, really good team. They’re a terrific team.”
