marshall

It was a high-scoring game for the Wildcats, as they tallied 118 points, the most in the John Calipari era. This surpasses the previous record of 115 points scored against Arizona State in 2016. It was also the second 100-point game of the season for Kentucky and the 21st century score of the Calipari era.

Leading the charge for Kentucky was D.J. Wagner, who notched an impressive 28 points. Antonio Reeves contributed 23 points for the Cats, while Tre Mitchell added 18. Rob Dillingham had a stellar night, connecting on seven of his eight shots to finish with 16 points. Reed Sheppard scored 12 points, Justin Edwards contributed 10, and all four players had double-digit points by halftime.

The Wildcats head into this match after suffering a defeat to Marshall in the semifinal round of the 2023 Sun Belt Conference Tournament. On the other hand, the Musketeers secured their first-ever Big East Conference Tournament title by defeating Georgetown in a nail-biting penalty shoot-out. Both teams are hungry for success and will be looking to make a statement in this tournament.

The Thundering Herd sought redemption after losing to the Wildcats just 17 days prior. With a spot in the championship at stake, both teams battled fiercely in the first half, but neither could break the scoreless deadlock. However, four minutes into the second half, Marshall’s Alvaro Garcia-Pascual changed the momentum in their favor. The junior forward stole the ball, made a brilliant run past two Wildcat defenders, and scored a clinical finish into the bottom right corner of the net.