The Kentucky Wildcats dominated the Troy Trojans by a final score of 76-57 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday night.

The Cats came out with a case of the tournament jitters to start this one. Sloppy turnovers and getting sped up by the Trojans led to some ugly basketball and a lot of turnovers.

Luckily, the Cats found their footing and were able to extend a two-point lead to a 35-27 halftime lead.

After the break, the Cats started slow, but then they exploded. A close game turned into a 20-point affair right before our eyes. Most of the contributors are mentioned below, but Collin Chandler played a really big role in the offensive explosion. That kid is developing at an incredibly high rate, but I digress.

Kentucky never really let this game get in doubt, and it was so refreshing to see.

Next up, the Cats will take on the winner of the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Xavier Musketeers on Sunday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Now, here’s what you need to know from Mark Pope’s first NCAA Tournament win of his coaching career.

No way, Oweh

Otega Oweh did what Otega Oweh does. He’s been the model of consistency all season long, and that didn’t change in this game.

Troy plays a smaller lineup, and while Oweh is a matchup nightmare against most opponents, that was especially true in this game. Keeping him out of the lane when he wants to be there is so difficult due to his combination of size and strength. He’s probably Kentucky’s best player, and the bright lights didn’t slow him down. Despite this team’s enormous amount of experience, it doesn’t come in the way of much postseason success, coach included. That didn’t matter in this one, as Oweh continued to do what he’s done all season.

The Oklahoma transfer flashed in all facets of the game. He scored, hit the glass, passed the ball uncharacteristically well, and defended at a high level. This team goes as Oweh does, and he did exactly what they needed tonight.

Williams and Carr feast

Amari Williams and Andrew Carr utilized their size to dominate Troy.

These guys play so much differently, but they excelled against a smaller Trojans team. Williams bullied the smaller Troy defenders, and Carr used his inside-out game to take advantage.

Williams was most dominant on the boards, but he also played bully ball in the paint. That also included his patented passing abilities, but that’s nothing new. Carr, on the other hand, used his size down low to finesse Troy and then found himself wide open on the perimeter. Williams has been UK’s most important player all season long, but Carr has really established himself as the X-factor over the last few weeks.

Williams found himself when the Cats were dealing with injuries and needed him to be the guy. Carr was the X-factor early, but injuries almost derailed his season. Now, the Wake Forest transfer is back and as good as ever.

Can the Cats defend at a high level?

We all know the Cats’ Achilles heel this season has been defense. Well, injuries, too, but the defense has been a major problem.

Troy isn’t good offensively, but Kentucky was dominant on the defensive end. Lamont Butler makes such a huge difference because UK isn’t good as a team, but they have three high-level defensive players in Butler, Oweh, and Williams. The problem has been that Butler’s absence really shines a light on the glaring defensive hole, but hopefully, he’s back for a long tournament run.

This game was a move in the right direction. Kentucky has its flaws, but when the offense wasn’t perfect, the defense shined bright tonight.

Just keep winning…Go Cats!!