Runnin Rebels Ran Out Of The Gym, Cats Win First Round Game

In an epic game played in the hallowed Memorial Coliseum, Billy Gillispie coached under the shadows of legendary Adolph Rupp, even sporting a brown suit, just as Rupp did. The crowd was sold out, the largest crowd and only crowd over capacity in the NIT so far. UK beat UNLV 70-60, in a game that mirrored what UK has played like all season. A close game with UK playing on all cylinders, having scoring spurts and playing stiffling defense, only to blow a lead becuase of turnovers and have the game on the line in the last seconds. UNLV got off to a quick start, opening up the game with a 9-2 lead. But the Cats clamped down on defense, forcing turnovers and and bad shots by the Rebels, who went cold from beyond the arc. The Cats ended the half on an 8-0 run, capped by a Patrick Patterson putback as time expired. The Cats opened up the lead with 3 point shooting and fast breaks. After the Cats took a 52-32 lead, they let UNLV get back into it by not defending and by going cold, eventually making the score 60-57 in the waning minutes. But the Cats pulled it out and will play at Creighton on Monday at 7pm on ESPN. Due to Creighton being the #1 seed, the Cats will have to travel to Omaha to play. The BBN will bring a big crowd as always.