Kentucky grinds out satisfying win against Villanova

	#8 Kentucky #9 Villanova 67 58   Box Score Recap All Scores
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By Marty Burns, SI.com

CHICAGO -- Win one for Tubby?

Not really. The Kentucky Wildcats, after all, had plenty of motivations heading into Friday night's NCAA tourney opener against Villanova. Like extending their school's nation-best streak of first-round victories to 16.

The last thing on their minds, they insisted before the game, was the future of beleaguered coach Tubby Smith.

Whatever the case, Kentucky's 67-58 victory had to be pleasing to Smith, who has come under fire of late for his team's late-season slide. Not only did his band of tough-minded Wildcats earn the right to face Kansas in Sunday's second round, but they did so in a fashion that would make any coach proud. With hard-nosed defense, tenacious rebounding and opportunistic offense.

"We put together a complete game tonight," Smith said.

Facing a Villanova team that came in having won eight of 11 games, Kentucky simply went to work and grinded it out. UK didn't hit Nova with any knockout punches. It just slowly wore them down, gradually turning a 34-34 tie into a 49-39 lead with 8:26 to play in the second half. The 'Cats then hung on, hitting just enough foul shots to seal the deal.

Villanova just never could gain any kind of control.

Kentucky held Villanova to 32.8 percent shooting. They won the battle of the boards 37-30. They milked their advantage in the middle, Randolph Morris. They sank 22-of-31 free throws.

Perhaps most important, they didn't let Villanova stars Scottie Reynolds and Curtis Sumpter go off. While Reynolds (23 points) and Sumter (19) got their points, they needed a combined 35 shots to get them. Reynolds managed just one field goal in the second half.

"We finished it the right way," Smith said. "We've had some well-documented games this year we've had control [and lost it]. Today I think we seized control of the game and kept the momentum and controlled the tempo from start to finish."

No matter what the future holds for Smith, Friday's victory will go down as a satisfying one.

PLAYER WHO IMPRESSED ME

Everybody knew Kentucky would need a big game from Morris, and the 6-foot-11 junior center delivered. He not only racked up team-highs in points (19), rebounds (11) and blocks (three), but he also moved his feet on defense. Thanks in large part to his ability to help and recover, Kentucky was able to cut off much of Villanova's dribble-penetration.

"The emphasis was on containing Reynolds and containing Sumter," he explained. "If I wasn't on [my primary assignment] all the time it was because I was in position to help. I was focused on containing their No. 1 option." On the offensive end, Morris was a presence inside all night. He hit five-of-seven shots from the floor, and 9-of-15 from the foul line.

COURTSIDE CONFIDENTIAL

Due to a mistake by Kentucky, freshman Dwight Perry was incorrectly entered in the scorebook as a starter instead of Bobby Perry. Rather than take a technical foul, Smith chose to have Dwight Perry commit a foul immediately after the opening tip to make the substitution. ... Despite the rumors that he's on the hot seat, Smith says he doesn't let it affect him and that he emphasizes to his players to have fun. "That's one of the things I write on the board before every game: Let's have fun," he said. ... Despite being two of the more storied programs in college basketball, Friday's game was only the third meeting in the NCAA tournament. The teams haven't met since 1988, when Villanova prevailed 80-74.

THE BIG PICTURE

Kentucky came into the tournament stumbling, having lost six of nine. But now it should be riding a little wave of confidence. Though they might not have lived up to usual Kentucky basketball standards, they are still 22-11 while playing one of the toughest schedules in nation. They have a solid interior presence in Morris, good support players in the likes of Bobby Perry, Joe Crawford and Ramel Bradley, plenty of length on the perimeter and decent balance. Kansas would be a difficult matchup for any team, but the Wildcats have the pedigree, coaching and experience to give themselves a chance. And even if they lose, at least they kept alive their NCAA first-round streak.