Ugo helped in this area in his first game back.
More often than not, Kentucky vs. North Carolina ends up being a thriller, and that holds true for the 2023 edition of this blue-blood rivalry.
When the final whistle sounded, it was Kentucky that cruised to a thrilling 87-83 victory. While it was certainly a hard-hitting exchange, the end result doesn't quite tell the full story of what was more of a hard-hitting exchange than an offensive shootout.
In the first half, Kentucky shot a putrid 14/40 from the field (35%), although UNC wasn't much better at 13/31 (41.9%).
Things got even better in the second half, with Kentucky hitting 16/32 shots (50%) after halftime while the Heels hit 14/26 shots (52.8%).
You'll notice that Kentucky ended up taking 15 more shots than North Carolina, and that proved to be huge in a game that was decided by four points.
That's because Kentucky largely won the paint battle, outscoring North Carolina 43-32 in rebounds and 9-5 in blocks. Kentucky dominated the offense 18-6 and helped build a 16-5 second-chance advantage.
Simply put, Kentucky won because it outlasted the veteran Tar Heels, and head coach Hubert Davis said as much in postgame interviews.
“Kentucky is tougher in the trenches than we are.
The best part was that it wasn't the effort of one person. Kentucky received major contributions from several people in that department.
In fact, it was Justin Edwards, Reed Sheppard and DJ Wagner who tied for a team-high six rebounds each.
Adou Thiero came off the bench to block game-high shots.
And then there is Ugonna Onyenso, who made his debut in the 2023/24 season and managed three blocks in just nine minutes of play.
Kentucky actually had more blocks from substitutes (eight) than UNC as a team (five).
That's how you win games in March, and this absolutely had the feel of a March Classic.
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