LIVE BLOG: [3] Kentucky vs. [14] Troy, NCAA Tournament First Round
The first NCAA Tournament game of the Mark Pope era at Kentucky is here. KSR’s LIVE BLOG will bring you all the sights and sounds from Fiserv Forum as the No. 3 seed Kentucky Wildcats face the No. 14 seed Troy Trojans (7:10 p.m. ET, CBS).
Kentucky is coming off the 29-point loss to Alabama in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals. Troy beat Arkansas State to win the Sun Belt Conference Tournament and advance to the NCAA Tournament for just the third time in program history. The Trojans are led by senior guard Tayton Conerway, the Sun Belt Player of the Year, who averages a team-high 14.3 points and 4.8 assists per game, and sophomore forward Thomas Dowd, the team’s leading rebounding with 6.8 boards per game. Kentucky will have Lamont Butler back after he suffered another shoulder injury in the SEC Tournament game vs. Oklahoma.
Can the Cats exorcise some March demons and advance to the second round? Refresh the feed below for updates and our takes on the game from Fiserv Forum. You can also join the conversation on the KSBoard Game Thread or by texting your observations to 859-587-3828 (standard messaging rates apply).
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FINAL: Kentucky 76, Troy 57
03/21/2025 08:23:15 PMWe did it, folks. Kentucky is moving on to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, which is not something we’ve always been able to say in recent years. After a few tense moments, the Cats pulled away from Troy to a 76-57 win. Otega Oweh led all scorers with 20 points, followed by Koby Brea, Andrew Carr, and Brandon Garrison who all had 13 each. Lamont Butler, clearly still bothered by that shoulder, didn’t score a single point.
Kentucky will face the winner of No. 6 seed Illinois and No. 11 seed Xavier, which tips off in just a bit. We’ll be rolling stuff out from this one all night, so stick around.
Kentucky responds with a 9-0 run
03/21/2025 08:17:51 PMAnd now my nerves are officially calmed. Kentucky is back up by 20 points with under three minutes to go. We can finally breathe, folks, even if it wasn’t pretty getting to this point.
Text Machine is restless
03/21/2025 08:11:20 PMText your observations to 859-587-3828 (standard messaging rates apply).
9-0 run by Troy
03/21/2025 08:10:38 PMTroy isn’t going away. The Trojans are on a 9-0 run, which cuts Kentucky’s lead to 13 and prompted Mark Pope to call a timeout. Kentucky hasn’t scored in the last 2:25, turning the ball over three times during that span. Can’t take their foot off the gas already, Cats.
5:39 2H – Kentucky 61, Troy 48
Score Update: 6:48 2H – Kentucky 61, Troy 44
03/21/2025 08:01:53 PMTroy’s scoring drought is over. A layup by Conerway and a three by Myles Rigsby cut Kentucky’s 21-point lead to 17 with 6:48 to go.
Flagrant 1 foul on Jackson Fields
03/21/2025 07:56:51 PMAfter a review, officials upgraded the foul on Troy’s Jackson Fields to a Flagrant 1. Brandon Garrison hit one of two free throws to push the lead to 21.
Just like that, Kentucky’s up 20
03/21/2025 07:52:37 PMWe were sweating just a few minutes ago and now Kentucky’s up by 20. Brandon Garrison’s three took the Cats’ lead to 20, the biggest of the night. The 14-0 run is all Chandler and Garrison, a promising sign for the future.
9:58 2H – Kentucky 59, Troy 39
Collin Chandler takeover!
03/21/2025 07:51:19 PMCollin Chandler is feeling it. The freshman just hit another three to cap off an 11-0 Kentucky run. He’s up to nine points, all in the second half.
11:02 2H – Kentucky 56, Troy 39
Score Update: 11:47 2H – Kentucky 50, Troy 39
03/21/2025 07:46:29 PMBrandon Garrison pushed Kentucky’s lead to double digits with a steal and score. Collin Chandler may extend it to 14 after the timeout. He was fouled by Tayton Conerway on a three-point attempt and will head to the free-throw line after this break. That’s the third foul on Conerway, Troy’s best player.
Welcome to the party, Collin Chandler!
03/21/2025 07:44:36 PMTroy had cut Kentucky’s lead to six, 45-39, but Collin Chandler came in and hit a massive three to push it back to nine. Every time it feels like the Cats are ready to pull away, Troy hits a big shot. Let’s hope that streak ends soon.
How many of you said this?
03/21/2025 07:41:54 PMText your observations to 859-587-3828 (standard messaging rates apply).
Score Update: 15:41 2H – Kentucky 43, Troy 34
03/21/2025 07:37:14 PMThe Cats are settling in, leading Troy by nine at the first media timeout of the second half. Amari Williams could put that to double digits after the timeout. He drove it to the bucket and missed, but was fouled. He’ll shoot two free throws.
Back-to-back threes to start the half
03/21/2025 07:31:37 PMKentucky needed to start the second half strong. So far, so good thanks to Otega Oweh and Koby Brea. Both hit threes to put Kentucky up 13 at the 19:07 mark. Unfortunately, Troy’s Tayton Conerway followed it up with a three of his own to but the lead to ten.
HALF: Kentucky 35, Troy 27
03/21/2025 07:07:32 PMAfter 20 minutes of play, Kentucky leads Troy by eight, 35-27. The Trojans almost cut the lead to six, but Thomas Dowd’s shot went in and out in the final seconds of the half.
Andrew Carr (11) and Otega Oweh (10) are the only players in double figures, combining for 21 of Kentucky’s 35 points. After a rough start, Kentucky is hitting 50% of its field goals but is just 3-10 from three-point land.
Text Machine is feeling better
03/21/2025 07:05:44 PMText your observations to 859-587-3828 (standard messaging rates apply).
AMARI WILLIAMS DUNK caps off an 8-0 run!
03/21/2025 07:02:18 PMAmari Williams just took it coast to coast with a massive dunk to cap off an 8-0 Kentucky lead, which also included back-to-back threes by Trent Noah and Andrew Carr. That’s more like it.
Text Machine is uneasy
03/21/2025 06:57:57 PMText your observations to 859-587-3828 (standard messaging rates apply).
Lamont Butler isn’t afraid to take a change even with an injured shoulder
03/21/2025 06:52:03 PMAt the under-four timeout, Kentucky still leads by two, 25-23. Brandon Garrison is stepping up to help Otega Oweh out, with four points during that last segment. Lamont Butler is clearly still struggling, just 0-3 from the floor tonight, but he did take a charge, even with an injured shoulder.
Meanwhile, the crowd finally showed some life during the timeout, cheering for the cheerleaders during a competition, which Kentucky won. Otherwise, this place has been a tomb.
3:42 1H – Kentucky 25, Troy 23
Score Update: 7:58 1H – Kentucky 19, Troy 17
03/21/2025 06:44:19 PMWelp, it’s not getting much better here at the Fiserv Forum. Kentucky has only made one of its last seven field goals and now only leads Troy by two. Zero field goals in the last 2:54. Otega Oweh is already up to double digits, but someone needs to step up to help him.
Jon Sumrall is watching
03/21/2025 06:39:23 PMFormer Kentucky Wildcat and former Troy coach Jon Sumrall is tuning in. I wonder who he’s cheering for?
Early Text Machine Takes
03/21/2025 06:38:09 PMText your observations to 859-587-3828 (standard messaging rates apply).
Andrew Carr hits Kentucky’s first three of the night
03/21/2025 06:35:30 PMAndrew Carr broke Kentucky’s three-point drought, hitting a bucket from the left wing to put Kentucky up by five, 14-9. Troy’s Jackson Fields followed it up with a stepback three of his own to pull the Trojans within two at the under-12 media timeout.
11:14 1H – Kentucky 14, Troy 12
Score Update: 14:04 1H – Kentucky 11, Troy 9
03/21/2025 06:28:26 PMOtega Oweh is starting to do his thing. Oweh has scored Kentucky’s last six points. The Cats are on top by two at the first media timeout. Kentucky is 5-7 on two-pointers, but just 0-3 from beyond the arc. Fans may still be filing in, but I’ll be honest, this place is very, very quiet.
This block by Andrew Carr was pretty sweet:
Troy strikes first but Kentucky responds
03/21/2025 06:23:29 PMTroy got on the board first, a three by Marcus Rigsby Jr., but Andrew Carr followed up with a three-point play to tie things up. A Koby Brea driving layup put the Cats on top 5-3. Lamont Butler had a chance to build on that lead but missed a transition layup of his own. Travis Perry just checked in for him.
16:27 1H: Kentucky 5, Troy 3
Tonight’s officials
03/21/2025 06:18:04 PM…are John Gaffney, Todd Austin, and Bharat Ramnanan.
Hello from high atop Fiserv Forum
03/21/2025 06:12:32 PMThere’s a basketball game being played somewhere down there in 10 minutes. I should have brought my binoculars.
Tip-Off Slightly Delayed
03/21/2025 05:46:09 PMWe were supposed to get started at 7:10 p.m. EST. Thanks to some late shenanigans from North Carolina, we gotta wait a little longer to watch the Wildcats in the NCAA Tournament. Official start time is set for 7:20 p.m. EST, 6:20 p.m. CT.
Ole Miss beats North Carolina
03/21/2025 05:20:27 PMNorth Carolina made a late rally, but Ole Miss held on to win the second game of the day in Milwaukee 71-64. The No. 6 seed Rebels advance to face No. 3 seed Iowa State in the second round in the South Region on Sunday.
Thankfully, that game didn’t go to overtime, so Kentucky vs. Troy should start as scheduled at 7:10 p.m. ET. If not, we’ll let you know.
Kentucky has arrived at Fiserv Forum
03/21/2025 04:52:12 PMThe Cats are in the house. Kentucky arrived at Fiserv Forum about 90 minutes before tipoff. They came through security right after Troy.
Latest odds
03/21/2025 04:06:44 PMKentucky opened as a 10.5-point favorite when the line dropped on Selection Sunday. That hasn’t changed much, now Kentucky -11.5 on FanDuel. The total is set at 151.5 points (Kentucky 81.5, Troy 69.5).
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