Kentucky rolls into Final Four
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist scored 17 of his 19 points in the first half and the top-seeded Kentucky rolled to an 82-70 win over Baylor on Sunday to win the South Regional at the Georgia Dome.The victory sets up an all-Bluegrass State matchup in the Final Four on Saturday in New Orleans. Kentucky (36-2) will face Louisville in the national semifinal. The Wildcats beat the Cardinals 69-62 on Dec. 31.The Wildcats took control Sunday after a slow start. Third-seeded Baylor (30-8) jumped out to a 10-5 lead before Kentucky scored 16 unanswered points, part of a 33-7 surge that buried the Bears. Kidd-Gilchrist scored six of the 16 points and his basket with 11:30 left in the first half gave the Wildcats a 21-10 advantage.Kidd-Gilchrist scored 11 of the next 17 Kentucky points, and two Anthony Davis’ free throws with 3:52 left in the half put the Wildcats ahead 38-17.Davis added 18 points, 11 rebounds and six blocked shots. He injured his left knee early in the second half, but the candidate for national player of the year returned to action.Terrence Jones scored 12 points and had nine rebounds, six assists, three steals and three blocks for the Wildcats, who are in the Final Four for the 15th time. Kentucky sits two victories from its first national championship since 1998.Kentucky’s defense limited Baylor to 1-for-4 shooting from 3-point range in the first half. The Bears hit just two shots from the field in the final 10 minutes of the half.Quincy Acy scored 22 points and Pierre Jackson added 21 points for the Bears. Baylor trailed 42-22 at halftime and by 23 points in the second half, but got within 10 points in the final minute.
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