Kentucky holds West Virginia to record-low 39 points, cruises to Elite Eight

When West Virginia warned Kentucky of an aggressive matchup, Willie Cauley-Stein shot back.

"If you bring the dogs on us, we're going to fight," the Wildcats forward told the Lexington Herald-Leader's Jerry Tipton.

With that, the Mountaineers weren't prepared for what hit them as Kentucky cruised to the Elite Eight with a 78-39 victory.

The 39 points are the fewest points scored in the Sweet Sixteen since the shot clock was introduced in 1985-86. The next closest was when Kentucky held Miami (OH) to 43 points in 1999.

There were some whispers that West Virginia would make a physical game out of it in order to halt the nation's best team. But the Wildcats had other plans, jumping to a 30-9 lead to start the game - a lead they wouldn't come close to relinquishing.

Overall, Kentucky didn't do anything exceptional (except this) in the first half. It just played some meat and potatoes basketball - make the easy shots, pull down rebounds and sink free throws.

In typical Wildcats fashion, the offense came from everywhere: Trey Lyles scored a game-high 14 points to go with seven boards, Aaron Harrison scored 12 and his twin brother Andrew Harrison added 13. Cauley-Stein did his job, pulling down a game-high 10 boards to go along with eight points.

Off the bench, Dakari Johnson and Devin Booker punched in 12 apiece.  

In the first half, the Wildcats shot 60.9 percent (14-of-23) from the floor and converted 12-of-14 from the stripe. They ended the game shooting 48 and 81.3 percent, respectively. But for a team not know for its perimeter game, the Mountaineers thought they had a lock by pushing their opponents to the outside.

That didn't work, either, as Kentucky shot 57.1 percent (4-of-7) from 3-point range in the opening 20 minutes.

Across the court it was a hot mess from the beginning. West Virginia couldn't find its stride, shooting an abysmal 24.1 percent from the field while going 2-for-15 from beyond the arc.

All of which led to an insurmountable 44-18 halftime lead for the Wildcats - the fewest points the Mountaineers have scored in a half this season. 

Senior guard Juwan Staten led the Mountaineers in scoring, but all he could muster against an otherwise stifling defense was 14 points.

Kentucky will now take on Notre Dame in the Elite Eight, a game that should prove to be more of a challenge.