The Kentucky Wildcats navigated uncharted waters to get to this year’s Sweet 16.
3rd-seeded Kentucky handily dispatched 6th-seeded Illinois in an 84-75 contest Sunday at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wis. An Otega Oweh layup gave the Wildcats a 6-5 lead in the opening minutes of the first half. The victors never trailed the rest of the way.
With the victory, Kentucky became the first-ever NCAA men’s basketball team to make the Sweet 16 despite returning zero points from the previous year.
Kentucky is the first team to ever make the Sweet 16 that returned 0 points from the previous season
— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) March 24, 2025
Kentucky completely revamped its roster following the departure of longtime head coach John Calipari. With several Wildcats following Calipari to Arkansas, walk-ons Grant Darbyshire and Walker Horn were the only holdovers from the 2023-24 campaign.
The duo combined to play a combined six minutes last season and failed to score a single point. The pair has also yet to score this season.
Oweh and senior transfer Koby Brea led the way for Kentucky on Sunday in their nine-point win. Brea had a team-high 23 points on 10/16 shooting, while Oweh poured in 15 points for the Sweet 16-bound Wildcats.
