Career Night for Keion Brooks Powers Kentucky Past Kansas 80-62

No. 12 Kentucky sprinted out to a fast start, then Keion Brooks threw it in cruise control in the second half to give the Wildcats an 80-62 victory over No. 5 Kansas, UK’s first win at Phog Allen Fieldhouse since 1983.

The Kentucky offense was humming in the first half, posting a 50 Burger in the first 20 minutes. When the Wildcats appeared to lose momentum in the second half, Brooks took the wheel.

The junior forward scored 15 of UK’s first 17 second half points to keep the Jayhawks at bay. Brooks knocked down 9-of-16 shots, including 9-of-10 from the charity stripe, to score a career-high 27 points. He also chipped in eight rebounds.

Kentucky remained in control for about 90% of the game. The other 10% happened when Kansas switched to a 2-3 zone early in the second half and went on a 7-0 run to cut the UK lead to 14.

Brooks and Oscar Tshiebwe‘s efforts kept Kentucky up by about 20 points for most of the game. The nation’s best rebounder played like the Naismith National Player of the Year, recording another double-double with 17 points and 14 rebounds.

Kentucky completely dominated Kansas on its home floor. The night ended with “Go Big Blue!” chants echoing throughout Phog Allen Fieldhouse. It’s UK’s first win over a top five team on the road since defeating UofL at the Yum! Center in 2014-15. These Cats are for real.

Kentucky-Kansas Box Score