The fourth-ranked Wildcats (10-2) fell to 0-3 against the Buckeyes in the yearly event with an 85-65 loss Saturday night at Madison Square Garden. North Carolina defeated No. 18 UCLA, 76-74 in the first game of a doubleheader in New York.
The loss was the worst defeat and first double-digit loss of the Mark Pope era. Kentucky’s previous lowest output of the season was a 66-point performance in a four-point loss at Clemson on Dec. 3.
Playing its first game since a 93-85 win over Louisville on Dec. 14, Kentucky made just four 3-pointers and shot just 30 percent from the field against the Buckeyes. Ohio State (8-4) made 57 percent of its field goal attempts and outscored Kentucky 36-24 in the paint.
In addition to its perimeter shooting, Kentucky also had trouble scoring in the lane and made just seven layups on 23 attempts.
“We’re gonna lose a lot of sleep over this," said Kentucky coach Mark Pope. "It’s hard to go into a break with a loss like this. We gotta find a way to do better when we are under duress like this. This is going to be one of the lynchpin moments in season that is going to change us for the better.”
Kentucky guard Otega Oweh led three players in double figures with 21 points. Oweh was perfect on all 13 of his free-throw attempts as the Wildcats finished 27-of-32 from the charity stripe. Andrew Carr followed Oweh with 12 points, while Jaxson Robinson finished with 11 before fouling out.
Wildcats guard Lamont Butler, who scored a career-high 33 points in Kentucky’s win over the Cardinals and was named Southeastern Conference Co-Player of the Week, tallied just four points on 1-of-7 shooting from the floor.
Kentucky had difficulty keeping pace with Buckeyes guard Bruce Thornton, who led all scorers with a career-high 30 points.
Former Kentucky center Aaron Bradshaw made his first appearance for the Buckeyes since Nov. 11 and scored 11 points off the bench.
Kentucky will get a 10-day layoff for the Christmas holiday and won’t return to the court until New Year’s Eve when the Wildcats take on Brown in a 2 p.m. contest at Rupp Arena.
(AP Photo Frank Franklin II)
On the Net:
Original article
