Kentucky’s clutch blocks snuffed out Wichita State’s NCAA tournament upset bid

With two massive blocks in the final 20 seconds, Kentucky escaped its second-round matchup with under-seeded Wichita State. Two important defensive stands pushed the Wildcats to the Sweet 16 — and sent the Shockers home to Kansas thinking “what if.”

Wichita State had momentum in its corner when Landry Shamet’s clutch three-pointer cut Kentucky’s lead to one point with 56 seconds to play. One off-target Malik Monk jumper later, the Shockers had the chance to take a late lead and force UK into a corner. Instead, Monk found instant redemption for the last miss he’d suffer in Indianapolis.

The dynamic freshman swatted the ball into Derek Willis’ waiting hands, then scooped up a pass and waited for the Shockers to foul. Two free throws later, Kentucky held a 62-59 lead with 10 seconds to play.

That gave Wichita State one last chance to save the game, and Shamet decided to take it himself. He took the ball the length of the floor to set up a final shot, but struggled to shake the Wildcat defense. As he rose up for a potential game-tying three-pointer, Kentucky big man Bam Adebayo switched off his assignment to make sure the ball never even approached the paint.

The win pushed the Wildcats into the second week of the NCAA tournament. They’ll face the winner of Sunday night’s game between UCLA and Cincinnati in the Sweet 16. Wichita State, meanwhile, will have to grind through an offseason trying to forget the image of an open Conner Frankamp in the corner, just waiting for Shamet to unload the ball.