By Andrew Holleran
Cincinnati’s men’s basketball team fell to Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament’s second round Saturday afternoon 64-51.
The Bearcats played valiantly but were ultimately doomed by their inability to convert with consistency on the offensive end; they shot 31.7 percent from the field and went 2-of-14 from the 3-point line. This isn’t atypical for a team playing the Wildcats. Kentucky is probably the best defensive team in the country.
According to Cincinnati’s Jermaine Sanders, though, the Bearcats’ poor offensive performance had nothing to do with UK’s defense.
"I don’t think they handled our physicality very well. Mental lapses cost us the game. It wasn’t nothing that they did," Sanders said via Kentucky Sports Connection's Dan Bodner.
While Cincinnati did miss a number of point-blank shots at the rim, it would be ignorant to think that Kentucky’s size and shot-blocking ability had “nothing” to do with the low shooting percentage.
The Wildcats will face the winner of Maryland-West Virginia in the Sweet 16.
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