Trent Noah sparked the "kill shot" run that eased UK's first-half concerns

Kentucky escaped the first round of the NCAA Tournament, winning the first dance of the Mark Pope era, 76-57. However, the win was not without stress early in the game as the 14th-seeded Trojans of Troy kept things closer than the Big Blue Nation imagined.

Troy got on the board first with a 3-pointer by Marcus Rigsby Jr., a 29.2% shooter on the season. That happens, though. Andrew Carr and Koby Brea responded to give Kentucky its first lead, but Troy took it back five minutes into the game at 9-7, with Lamont Butler and Amari Williams already on the bench for an early rest. Butler missed a 3 and a layup in transition before Travis Perry took his place.

If not for Otega Oweh, Troy could’ve retaken its early lead, but Kentucky’s leading scorer got off to a hot start, making four of his first five shots for 10 quick points. Oweh got downhill with ease. Carr also helped out. He and Oweh scored 18 of Kentucky’s first 21 points.

Still, Kentucky fans grew anxious as everyone beyond Oweh and Carr struggled to score. Many in the Big Blue Nation recalled memories of past early exits when Troy’s Cooper Campbell, a 6-2 freshman, made a driving layup to get within two at 25-23, with only four minutes to go in the first half. A missed Butler jumper and Oweh turnover later, Troy went to the line with a chance to tie the game at 25 with 3:17 left in the first half. Luckily, Jackson Fields made only one of two, maintaining Kentucky’s one-point lead.

At 25-24 and halftime approaching, the atmosphere grew more than uncomfortable around Fiserv Forum and throughout BBN, with thoughts of the worst-case scenario occurring for a second year in a row. Troy had no business playing Kentucky so closely, but the Trojans had the fight and the confidence to stick around while Kentucky struggled offensively.

Then came Trent Noah‘s 3 from the corner that sparked a game-changing run for Kentucky. Mountain Mamba extended UK’s lead to four with his only basket of the night, but it was a big one because the Wildcats found another gear from there.

Koby Brea blocked Troy’s attempt at an answer, then Andrew Carr followed Noah’s 3 with a 3 of his own. The back-to-back 3s brought BBN to its feet in Milwaukee as Amari Williams added to the run with the play of the game, a coast-to-coast dunk over Troy’s Thomas Dowd–and one.

The run continued with a dunk by Brea with 1:21 before halftime, giving Kentucky a 35-24 lead. The 10-0 run, known as a “kill shot,” gave the Cats enough of a cushion to feel better at halftime and allowed Kentucky fans a moment to exhale. Many fans, including me, forgot to breathe for several minutes before Noah ignited the run.

As Kentucky moves onto the next round and celebrates Mark Pope’s first NCAA win, let’s take a moment to appreciate the run that flipped the script. Sure, there was still a half of basketball to play, but everything changed for the better when Kentucky went Noah 3, Carr 3, Williams dunk, Brea dunk before halftime.

Trent Noah and Andrew Carr go back-to-back

.@trentnoah2_ and @apc_andrew going back to back from deep 🔥🔥🔥

📺 – @MarchMadnessMBB, @CBSSportsCBB
pic.twitter.com/WgkmFHr7mi

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) March 22, 2025

Amari Williams’ coast-to-coast dunk

Speed demon, @amxriwillixms 💨

📺 – @MarchMadnessMBB, @CBSSportsCBB
pic.twitter.com/fTc83gDon2

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) March 22, 2025

Mark Pope on Noah’s 3

After the game, Pope was asked about Trent Noah’s contribution off the bench. Pope replied, “I thought one of the biggest plays of the game was Trent’s first 3. It really mattered. It was a great play by Amari out of a tech set. Just to see it, Otega kind of broke his cut and went down the middle and sucked it in. They’re kind of coming from us anyway, and the skip pass was really terrific. I thought he had a huge impact.

Noah practiced that shot on his mini-hoop in Harlan

Trent Noah told KSR’s Jack Pilgrim that he grew up watching Kentucky’s March Madness games, and would pretend to be Malik Monk on his mini-hoop at home. “Watching it as a kid, and being able to get over the hump, the Round of 32 now, just doing it for the state. It means so much. It’s super cool.”

Noah also credit Jaxson Robinson for giving him confidence from the bench to break out of his shooting slump with the corner 3. “I haven’t been shooting it too well recently but it was good to see one through.”