It wasn’t always pretty, and it was nerve-racking at times, but the Kentucky Wildcats held off a rally from Illinois to pick up the 84-75 win today in the Round of 32 and advance to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.

Kentucky came out strong early and picked up a double-digit lead in the first half, but Illinois fought back and made it a 5-point game going into halftime.

The Cats came out strong again in the second half and were in control for much of the second half, leading by as many as 16 in the second half, but Illinois rallied back and cut the lead to 6. However, Kentucky was able to withstand the rally and come away with a hard-fought win.

Up next, Kentucky will face the Tennessee Volunteers in the Sweet 16 in Indianapolis, marking the third time they’ll have played this season, though you can pretty much throw the first two out now that it’s a do-or-die game for both teams.

Here are five things to know from today’s big victory in Milwaukee!

The Cats are back in the Sweet 16

For the first time since 2019, the Kentucky Wildcats are back in the Sweet 16!

It’s been a long drought since Kentucky has made it to the second weekend, but it’s certainly a sweet feeling, especially after watching the Cats lose to a 15-seed and a 14-seed in just the last three seasons.

I’m not sure what most people expected in Mark Pope’s first year, but I think you have to consider making the Sweet 16 a success based off all the factors. Today was a major step for Mark Pope and Kentucky basketball.

Have a day, Kobe Brea!

Kentucky’s Kobe Brea stepped up in a big way today. While Brea is known for his three-point shooting, Brea didn’t make his living there today. While he knocked down his fair share of three-pointers, Brea did a good job cutting to the basket and knocking down mid-range shots as well.

Brea wads 10/16 from the floor and 3/8 from three for 23 points along with six rebounds.

Kentucky is just a different team offensively when Kobe Brea plays well, and he was certainly a difference-maker today.

Making this even more important was Otega Oweh had a fairly quiet game by his standards (15 points), while Andrew Carr had just four points. If you had said the Cats would get only 18 points from those two, it would have been hard to see them coming away with the W.

Thanks to Brea, Kentucky won in convincing fashion.

Lamont Butler continues to be a difference-maker

After going scoreless in Kentucky’s opening-round game against Troy, Lamont Butler continued to prove why he’s such a difference-maker for this Kentucky team.

Butler finished the day with 14 points and five assists while shooting 4/5 from the floor and 4/5 from the free-throw line, including several clutch makes in the final minute.

The offense just flows significantly better with Butler on the court, and he’s a difference-maker on the defensive end as well, causing turnovers and making things more difficult for opposing guards. That included one later where Butler stole the ball away and kicked it over to Brandon Garrison for a layup that put Kentucky up 12.

Amari Williams had a big day

Despite some frustrating misses around the rim, Amari Williams was a major contributor for the Wildcats. That really should come as no surprise with the way he has played, especially in the back half of the season.

Williams had a lot of big defensive plays, finishing with 3 blocked shots and a steal. He also had a great day passing the ball, setting up his teammates for easy baskets. He finished the day with 6 assists.

The misses around the rim are frustrating, but he does so many other impactful things on the court that it’s hard to leave him on the bench for very long.

Some mixed results on defense

Kentucky did some positive things defensively in this game. They defended the perimeter pretty well, minus a few lapses. However, the Cats struggled to contain the drive, especially by Kylan Boswell.

Boswell seemed to be able to get to the rim at ease, especially in the first half. The 6’2, 200 lb. guard was bullying his way to the basket, and Kentucky struggled to stop him from finishing at the rim. Boswell finished the game with 23 points on 9/13 shooting.

However, Kentucky did a good job of keeping the trio of Will Riley, Tomislav Ivisic, and Kasparas Jakucionis from going crazy from deep. Ivisic was able to knock down some threes off the pick-and-pop, but Kentucky, for the most part, did a good job defending it.

Bonus: History Made

That’s right. Kentucky basketball added to its storybook history by becoming the first team in college basketball history to make the Sweet 16 after losing 100% of its scoring from the previous season.

Now, let’s celebrate!

And Go CATS!!