Kentucky perseveres as Southern provides a challenge in Unity Series opener

Kentucky had plenty of reasons to be overconfident going into Tuesday night’s “Unity Series” game against Southern.

Entering this week, none of the 12 teams from the Southwestern Athletic Conference had a winning record. The teams’ combined record was 15-75.

Southern’s winning percentage of .375 (3-5 record) was the best among SWAC teams.

In the NCAA’s NET rankings released Monday, eight of the SWAC’s 12 teams placed outside the top 300.

Southern’s NET ranking of 258 was fourth-best behind Texas Southern (181), Jackson State (234) and Alcorn State (253).

If Kentucky needed a reason to take Southern seriously, it came Monday night. That’s when Texas Southern won 69-54 at No. 20 Florida. Afterward, Florida Coach Mike White said his team got “out-everythinged” in the game.

Southern competed. Yet Kentucky won 76-64 despite foul trouble for Oscar Tshiebwe and Sahvir Wheeler.

A big second half allowed Tshiebwe to post his seventh double-double (23 points and 11 rebounds). That tied him for the lead in Division I.

Wheeler finished with six points, six assists and five turnovers as UK improved to 7-1.

Southern fell to 3-6.

“I like my team, I really do,” Coach Sean Woods (the former UK point guard) said last week. “We’re very versatile. Not very big in stature, but we play so doggone hard defensively. Last couple games, we finally started making some shots.”

While UK stressed late-game execution as a point of focus going forward, Keion Brooks suggested the polar opposite was important, too.

“Early in the year, we didn’t start games really well,” he said on Friday. “Especially the last game, we really got off to a good start. Now, we’ve got to continue that throughout the whole game. Keep applying pressure.”

Kentucky did not start well against Southern. The Cats fell behind 9-2 inside the first four minutes and trailed much of the opening 14 minutes.

A late surge enabled Kentucky to lead 38-34 at halftime. The Cats took the lead for good on a spurt of eight straight points in 38 seconds. Kellan Grady’s three-pointer put UK ahead 29-26 with 3:28 left. Wheeler stole the ball seconds after Southern’s inbounds and cashed in with a layup.

After Southern missed a three-pointer, Davion Mintz hit a three-pointer. His free throw with 2:22 left completed a 9-0 run that gave Kentucky its largest first-half lead at 35-26.

Foul trouble and turnovers prevented basketball’s equivalent of a first-round knockout.

UK’s leading scorer, freshman TyTy Washington, picked up his second foul with 11:33 left when called for charging. He played only six minutes and scored four points in the half.

Tshiebwe picked up two fouls within 90 seconds and went to the bench with 9:19 left in the half. Both fouls were for going over the Southern player’s back when attempting to rebound a missed UK shot.

Tshiebwe played 10 minutes in the half and had work to do in the second to achieve another double-double after scoring five points and grabbing three rebounds in the first half.

After missing eight of its first nine three-point shots, UK made four of its final five.

Dontaie Allen did not contribute as his struggles continued. Having made only three of 20 three-point shots in the last three games, he shot an airball on his only attempt and fouled a three-point shooter for Southern in three minutes of playing time.

The opening minutes of the second half were all Kentucky. Southern missed four of its first five shots. UK outrebounded Southern 7-1 to start the half. It added up to an 11-2 spurt that put Kentucky ahead 49-36 with 15:58 left.

Foul trouble stalled any expectation of immediate blowout unfolding. Much to UK fans’ consternation, Tshiebwe picked up his third foul with 14:34 left. After missing a free throw that would have completed an and-one, he appeared to tie the Southern player who had the rebound. Boos greeted the call of a foul rather than an alternate arrow tie-up.

Despite Wheeler also on the bench after picking up his third foul with 15:01 left, Kentucky again led by 13 (55-42) with barely 10 minutes left.

But when Terrell Williams made a three-pointer to bring Southern within 55-45, Tshiebwe and Wheeler went to the scorer’s table to await returning to the game.

With the lead at 55-47, UK Coach John Calipari did not wait for a dead ball. His timeout with 9:37 left allowed the two pillars of Kentucky’s team to return to the game.

Their return did not bring an immediate change. But Tshiebwe took advantage of a defensive switch to post up for a score over a 6-foot-4 guard to put UK ahead 60-51.

Tshiebwe posted two more times down the stretch to help Kentucky keep Southern at bay.

Next game

No. 10 Kentucky at Notre Dame

When: 5:15 p.m. Saturday

TV: ESPN

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