Kentucky’s kids rally for 65-62 win over Wichita State

INDIANAPOLIS – Bam Adebayo timed it perfectly, slapping the shot away with his right hand less than a second before the buzzer sounded. For the 13th game in a row, Kentucky’s fabulous freshmen had their hands all over another win.

The youngest team in March Madness grew up in the closing minutes on Sunday and sent Wichita State to yet another second-round heartbreak, 65-62 in the NCAA Tournament.

“They’re young, but they have a will to win and play with courage and are skilled basketball players and great kids who share,” coach John Calipari said.

The freshman trio made all of the significant plays in the final minutes.

De’Aaron Fox had 14 points, including a late steal and dunk. Malik Monk blocked a shot and made two free throws in the final 13 seconds. Adebayo had 13 points and 10 rebounds, and he finished it off by swatting away Landry Shamet’s 3-point attempt as it left his hand with less than a second left.

“He pump-faked, and I knew he had to shoot it so I just went up and tried to block it,” Adebayo said.

As simple as that.

Kentucky (31-5) moved into the Sweet 16 for the seventh time in nine years. The Shockers (31-5) were wiping away tears after another crushing second-round loss.

It felt familiar.

Three years ago, Wichita State was 35-0 when it lost to Kentucky 78-76 in the second round, crestfallen after Fred Van Vleet’s 3-pointer missed at the buzzer. This time, their attempt at a tying 3 never had a chance. Shamet finished with 20 points.

Coach Gregg Marshall thought the Shockers were slighted when they got a No. 10 seed. He wasn’t sure what fans would make of another close call against the eight-time national champions.

“How many years do we have to do this to make people respect our program? I don’t know,” Marshall said. “I know that we have the heart of a champion.”