Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Leads Kentucky To The Sweet 16

Well, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was able to hold off Wes Clark and Buffalo to lead Kentucky to the Sweet 16 in what was perceived as a down year for the Wildcats. Kentucky was able to just roll on the offensive side of the ball to beat Buffalo 95-75.

This was all about Gilgeous-Alexander and Hami Diallo though. Starting with Diallo, he entered the season with a ton of expectations after sitting out the second half of last year while being on campus. He passed on the NBA to come back and was expected to be the star of this year’s team. However, he’s been wildly inconsistent and never looked the part. Today though, he was the second best player for Kentucky behind SGA. Diallo started the game locked in on the defensive side of the ball – something he should excel at when you look at his athleticism. He finished with 20 points and 8 rebounds while playing really well on the defensive side of the ball.

The other story was Gilgeous-Alexander being the best player on the court. He controlled the game early, attacking the rim and getting layups. He finished with 27 points on 10-for-12 from the field and threw in 6 assists and 6 rebounds. His ability to control the game was massive, especially the way Wes Clark was playing for Buffalo.

It’s pretty insane to think this Kentucky team is in the Sweet 16 based on how everyone viewed them just a couple weeks ago. They lost 4 in a row and looked quite pedestrian. They started to roll offensively while getting help from the likes of Wenyen Gabriel shooting. But, it ultimately came down to the switch offensively. Instead of running dribble-drive, the started running flex screens and a hi-lo set including a box to box screen with bigs. That got Kevin Knox going, especially on baseline jumpers. The move to that did wonders for Knox, turning him into the alpha of the team and 1-2 punch with Gilgeous-Alexander.

Kentucky moves on to play the winner of Kansas State/UMBC next week in Atlanta.