Trent Noah once pretended to be Malik Monk shooting on his mini goal -- now he's hitting shots in March Madness

There may not have been a more important shot in the game than the one Trent Noah hit in the first half. Kentucky started the game 1-8 from three with Troy within striking distance and gaining confidence. As tension grew in the building, the freshman from Harlan caught a cross-court pass from Amari Williams in the left corner, rose up for the contested look and drilled it.

With the Wildcats’ lead sitting at just one at the time of his attempt, Noah’s three was the start of a 10-0 run to help take an eight-point lead into the half. The tension in the building let out like a helium balloon as the blue and white picked up some much-needed breathing room en route to Mark Pope‘s first NCAA Tournament win as a head coach.

Other players produced more, but you can argue no individual moment was bigger.

“I thought one of the biggest plays of the game was Trent’s first 3. It really mattered,” Pope said, adding that Noah made a “huge impact” and was “solid defensively.”

The guy assisting on the freshman’s dagger agrees.

“When that three went in, I feel like it changed the momentum of the game,” Williams told KSR.

Collin Chandler — who was the second-half hero for the Cats after Noah’s big moment in the first — couldn’t believe the Trojans let his teammate get that shot off.

When you’re whipping up a scouting report for this Kentucky team, that’s an absolute no-go. Troy’s coaching staff undoubtedly had something to say to the players after that one.

“As soon as he sees one go in — I’m surprised we didn’t see him shooting from 40 feet after that. I mean, Trent’s a sniper,” Chandler told KSR. “I’m sure that that kid got yelled at by his coach, because that’s got to be on the scout, ‘Don’t let Trent be open in the corner.'”

His final box score said he scored just three points on 1-2 shooting with a single rebound in eight minutes — seventh in scoring, ninth in minutes played. He earned something, though, you can never pay for with money.

Noah got his very own March Madness moment, something he used to dream about growing up as a kid in Harlan.

“I remember just watching all the March Madness games, watching when Kentucky played,” he told KSR. “I would go shoot on the mini hoop at like halftime or whatever thinking I was Malik Monk or something. It’s really cool. Really cool.”

What gave him the confidence to fire away on that one, despite shooting just 1-15 from deep over his last seven games? He credits none other than Jaxson Robinson and Mark Fox for helping him shake off the rust as he moves past that cold streak.

“Shoutout to Jax, he was giving me confidence on the bench. Coach Fox is instilling a lot of confidence in me and the whole coaching staff, really,” Noah said. “I haven’t been shooting it too well recently, but it was good to see one go through. I appreciate them instilling confidence in me.”

More than anything for him individually, he helped Kentucky win a game in March — the top priority. Being from the state and knowing what postseason success means to this fanbase, it was a special day for Noah.

“It’s incredible. Really, it’s like watching it as a kid — being able to get over that hump, getting to the Round of 32 now, doing it for the state, I know it means so much,” he told KSR. “It’s just super cool.”