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Kentucky learned the hard way no March Madness lead is safe
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- Kentucky learned the hard way no March Madness lead is safe
The Kentucky Wildcats are probably breathing a GIGANTIC sigh of relief.
On Friday, Kentucky was rolling against the Liberty Ladyflames during the first round of March Madness as senior guard Georgia Amoore led the charge with 23 points by halftime. Head coach Kenny Brooks had his squad cooking well into the fourth quarter. However, foul trouble by post players Clara Strack and Teonni Key eventually hindered the Wildcats in the paint, and Amoore, who started 8-for-12, struggled to get anything to fall. YIKES. That's when Liberty went into overdrive.
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The Ladyflames erased a 17-point deficit with a MASSIVE 23-6 run over the last six minutes of regulation to pull within one point, 76-75, with seconds to go. (Oh, the drama!) The Wildcats eventually won their opening-round NCAA tournament game, 79-78, escaping the No. 13 Ladyflames. What saved a shaky Kentucky team? Liberty turned the ball over with about eight seconds in regulation (OOF!), and Amoore did the rest. She ended her day with 34 points, including six 3-point buckets.
Kentucky learned a hard lesson today. No March Madness lead is safe.
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Whether a team is a 13-seed or a 4-seed, anything goes. The NCAA tournament is when everyone brings their best basketball, and perceived talent gaps from team to team don't matter. Truthfully, it's probably better for the Wildcats to get this ugly win out of the way early, but it can't happen again.
The further Kentucky goes, the steeper the competition. It's safe to assume games will be close, but if the Wildcats have a lead, THEY CAN'T BLOW IT. Better teams will capitalize on the mistakes, sending Kentucky home early to sit on the couch.
The famous March Madness motto is "survive and advance," but Kentucky, please pull it together and don't let your NCAA tournament journey be filled with stress.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Kentucky learned hard way no March Madness lead is safe vs. Liberty
