Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/Sports
Sports

March Madness: UK In Sweet 16 After Shocking Shockers

By | Published on March 24, 2014
CommentsComments (0) Add as a preferred source on Google i

Young, maybe. Scared, no way. The five freshmen starters for University of Kentucky did not fear the stage or the undefeated Wichita Shockers Sunday, with a dazzling display of poise and growth in earning a precious place in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

“I’ve been doing this so long. I’ve been in wars,” Wildcats coach John Calipari said after University of Kentucky earned a heart-pounding 78-76 victory.  “You all understand this was (like) an Elite Eight game. The winner of this should have gone to the Final Four.”

Instead, Kentucky advances to face intrastate rival Louisville Friday in Indianapolis, and Wichita State goes home empty with a 35-1 record.

Twin brothers Andrew and Aaron Harrison were stellar for the Wildcats, scoring 20 and 19 points respectively, with big man Julius Randle adding 13, 10 rebounds and six assists.

The entertaining battle was one that will be long remembered for the effort and efficiency with which the teams played. There were many ebbs and flows over the 40 minutes of intense action, and it was not until a missed Fred VanVleet three-point shot at the buzzer that the huge Kentucky contingent could celebrate.

“We just felt so good beating a great team,” said Andrew Harrison, who considered sitting the game out after hurting his elbow in a second-round win over Kansas State. “It shows how much work we’ve put in, how much we’re getting better.”

In other upsets, No. 10-seeded Stanford, coached by former Duke star Johnny Dawkins, knocked off No. 2 Kansas, 70-67, to advance to the round of 16. No. 6 Baylor destroyed No. 3 Creighton 85-55. Also, Dayton bounced No. 3 Syracuse, 55-53 on Saturday and Connecticut sent home No. 3 Iowa State.

 

Subscribe To The ABS Newsletter — Get our stories in your inbox.

Independent journalism still matters.

We hope this story was worth your time. For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed Black-owned and independently run. We didn't get here by waiting on ad budgets that were never built to prioritize us. Our readers did that.

Corporate support for Black media has always been thin. Outlets like ours get roughly 1% of the $170 billion spent on U.S. advertising each year, and that margin is shrinking further as advertisers walk back the DEI-linked commitments they made in 2020. That's the backdrop. It's not why we're asking.

The wider picture isn't any steadier. Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under, it's rarely the ones built to center a Black perspective from the ground up that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way

Latest from Atlanta Black Star

Back to top