Kentucky spent Friday night flirting with disaster before Alex Wilkins bailed it out at the horn.
Wilkins buried a 3-pointer with two seconds left, lifting No. 24 Kentucky to a 78-77 win over Northern Arizona at Rupp Arena. What looked like a comfortable night for the Wildcats nearly unraveled completely after they had built a 13-point lead and then watched the Lumberjacks claw all the way back to a 77-75 edge in the closing seconds.
The final minute flipped fast. Mason Williams scored with 14 seconds remaining to pull Kentucky within two, then Northern Arizona missed both free throws on the other end. That opened the door for Wilkins, who stepped in and delivered the shot that saved Kentucky from a stunning upset.
Northern Arizona had every reason to believe it could pull it off. The Lumberjacks outscored Kentucky 40-33 after halftime, shot 50% from 3-point range and kept hammering away until the game became a one-possession battle.
Chris Komin powered the effort with 25 points, seven rebounds and six assists, while Lucas Toukam added 18 points. Northern Arizona finished with 13 made 3-pointers and 32 rebounds, compared with Kentucky’s 20 boards.
Kentucky’s offense was efficient enough to keep the Wildcats afloat. They shot 56.4% from the field, piled up 21 assists and turned it over only four times. But the rebounding gap and Northern Arizona’s second-half surge turned a game that had been under control into a tense finish.
The Wildcats led 45-37 at halftime after stretching the margin to 13 earlier in the game, but that cushion steadily disappeared as Northern Arizona kept pressing. For Kentucky, the result is a win after the 89-69 loss to Kansas in the Champions Classic just days earlier. Mark Pope’s team avoided a second straight defeat, though the way it nearly let this one slip will linger longer than the final score.
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Auburn Faces An Early Proving Ground Against Arizona
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The spotlight will be on several pieces for Arizona, starting with Derek Dixon and Motiejus Krivas as the Wildcats try to match Auburns pace and physicality. Arizona also needs more from its younger perimeter options to complement the established frontcourt presence, especially in a game where every possession figures to matter. Against a ranked-caliber opponent with momentum on its side, the Wildcats are looking for more than a competitive showing. They need proof that the early progress has real staying power. [Read more 🡒]
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The history between the schools adds another layer, even if the current focus is squarely on how Arizona responds away from home. Auburn has been rolling, and the game will also put the Wildcats in front of some of the Tigers top recent performers, making this more than just another nonconference date on the calendar. For Arizona, it is the kind of early measuring-stick game that can reveal a lot about where the team stands before the schedule settles in. [Read more 🡒]
Arizona Title Hopes Already Face A Toughness Problem
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Lloyd has pointed to effort and defensive lapses in the opening stretch, and the numbers back up the unease. Arizona is giving up too many points and too many clean looks from deep, which is a dangerous combination for a team that wants to stay in the title picture. The bigger question now is whether this group can rediscover the toughness that made the program so hard to handle, because without it, the margin for error in a loaded season gets very thin. [Read more 🡒]