Koby Brea leads the way as Kentucky beats Illinois 84-75 for first Sweet 16 appearance since 2019

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Kentucky is joining its former coach in the Sweet 16.

The Wildcats believe they have their new coach to thank for it.

Koby Brea matched a career high with 23 points and Kentucky beat Illinois 84-75 on Sunday to advance beyond the NCAA Tournament’s opening weekend for the first time since they reached the Elite Eight in 2019.

Kentucky (24-11), the No. 3 seed in the Midwest Region, faces No. 2 seed and Southeastern Conference rival Tennessee on Friday in Indianapolis. The Wildcats have already beaten the Volunteers twice this season.

“Who knows where we’re going to go from here, but this group, what a blessing to be around this group,” coach Mark Pope said.

Pope, who never won an NCAA Tournament game in five seasons at BYU, broke through in his first season at Kentucky. A forward on Kentucky’s 1996 national championship team, Pope took over when John Calipari left for Arkansas in the wake of a first-round loss to Oakland last year.

Now both Pope and Calipari are in the Sweet 16. Calipari got there when Arkansas upset St. John’s 75-66 in the West Region on Saturday.

“His personality is always positive, regardless of the situation,” Kentucky center Amari Williams said of his coach. “That’s just the kind of guy he is. That’s what he’s brought to us all year.”

Kentucky overcame a multitude of injuries to get to that point after Pope spent the offseason essentially assembling a roster from scratch.

The Wildcats didn’t return a single scholarship player from last season. Pope added nine transfers from programs that generally lacked Kentucky’s history or stature, though Lamont Butler reached the national title game with San Diego State in 2023.

“We’ve got a lot of underdogs on this team, a lot of people who’ve been doubted just through our life,” Butler said. “Growing up in basketball, not a lot of us were highly recruited. … For us to be on this stage, we want to seize the opportunity.”

Brea, a…

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Publish date : 2025-03-24 01:52:00

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