Collin Chandler, Brandon Garrison came off the bench to spark Kentucky's 2nd half run

Otega Oweh and Andrew Carr, who combined for 21 first-half points, allowed Kentucky to take a lead into the halftime break, but a couple of youngsters pushed the Wildcats to victory down the stretch.

3-seed Kentucky took down 14-seed Troy on Friday night in Milwaukee, winning 76-57 to secure Mark Pope‘s first NCAA Tournament win as a head coach. Despite the 19-point discrepancy, UK’s performance was never pretty. Troy kept it to a seven-point game at the intermission and was down just six points with 13 minutes to go.

Then Collin Chandler and Brandon Garrison decided it was time to go to work. Those two combined to score 15 straight points for Kentucky after Troy cut the lead to 45-39.

Less than 15 seconds after Chandler, who played only two minutes in the first half, entered the game, he drilled a three-pointer. The ‘Cats were off and running from there. Garrison then dropped in a layup after forcing a steal on the other end. Chandler followed that up by getting fouled on a three-pointer (making all three freebies) before drilling another triple a couple of possessions later. Garrison joined the long-range party, knocking in his own shot from deep after missing his first two attempts earlier in the game, one being an airball. He tacked on a free throw for good measure shortly after that.

Collin Chandler giving the Cats a spark off the bench 😼#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/sCs4qiNrjh

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 22, 2025

For those keeping track at home, that was a 15-0 run for Kentucky across a span of just three minutes in the middle of the second half. It was the Wildcats’ second kill shot of the evening and the final nail in Troy’s coffin.

With Lamont Butler still battling through his shoulder injury and Amari Williams dealing with a minor back issue, Pope needed some of his bench pieces to step up in their place. For it to be Chandler (a freshman — albeit an older freshman) and Garrison (a sophomore), two important pieces for the future of the program, was a great sign for not only the rest of the tournament, but beyond this season.

“Collin, of course, was spectacular,” Pope said postgame. “BG, I’m telling you guys, he’s going to turn into a really, really special — all these guys will turn into really special players. But our roster right now is in tatters, and these guys are doing this just on sheer love for each other and will in terms of guys’ health right now. There’s so much going on.

“These guys coming off the bench are massively important. If we’re going to have a chance in 48 hours, they’ll be just as important. Clearly, they’ve proven they’re ready to step up and do it.”

Chandler finished his night with nine points (2-4 3PT; 3-3 FT), one rebound, one assist, and one steal in just 10 minutes of action. Garrison was even more productive in his 15 minutes: 13 points (5-7 FG), six rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Kentucky will continue to rely on its starters to win games, but its guys like Chandler and Garrison who can help build the leads.

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