Kentucky reaches NCAA Sweet 16 and hits 36-0 milestone

LOUISVILLE – For about 26 minutes, Cincinnati hung with unbeaten and top-seeded Kentucky.

Just as a select few opponents have done this season, the Bearcats matched the Wildcats' energy and physicality, matching the nation's best blow-by-blow. But as the select few realized – and Cincinnati realized as it got deeper and deeper into Saturday's second half – everyone who faces Kentucky eventually wears down.

The Wildcats beat the Bearcats, 64-51, in front of a raucous crowd here in Louisville to advance to the Sweet 16, where they'll face the winner of tomorrow's game between Maryland-West Virginia.

With the victory, Kentucky became the first team to go 36-0 in college basketball history.

The Wildcats come in waves that never quite stop. Their talent and depth allow them little to no drop-off between substituted players. Foul trouble – as infrequent as it hits – is not a serious problem for Kentucky. Neither is freshness, because players shared minutes all season long.

So despite Cincinnati's well-constructed game plan, one of the best a Kentucky opponent has had all season, the Bearcats couldn't finish what they started. They played exceptionally well defensively and held the Wildcats to just 37% from the field and 27% from beyond the arc. But Cincinnati couldn't match its defensive success on the offensive end.

The Bearcats shot just 24% from the field in the second half, as they watched their chance to hang in the game slip out of grasp​. They had the right approach and the right kind of fight to battle the best team in the country; they just didn't have what it took, personnel-wise, to beat it.

Aaron Harrison led Kentucky with 13 points. Trey Lyles added 11, along with 11 rebounds.