CORBIN —
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — To call this one a yawner would be understating things.
Kentucky’s blowout of East Tennessee State in the first round of the NCAA tournament was so thorough that fans were sleeping in the stands — and not even the collective laughs of conscious spectators could awaken some of those caught snoozing on large video boards.
That’s what happens when a No. 1 seed leads by 30 in the first half and keeps piling on.
At least the Kentucky fans who stayed awake were rewarded with a record performance by Eric Bledsoe.
Bledsoe’s eight 3-pointers set a new high for a Kentucky player in an NCAA tournament game, and the Wildcats dominated throughout in a 100-71 victory over ETSU on Thursday night in the East Regional.
Scoring 29 points in all, Bledsoe started 8 of 8 on 3s before finally missing his first from long range late in the second half and finishing 8 of 9. Still, he surpassed Tony Delk’s previous school record of seven 3s in the 1996 championship game against Syracuse.
Patrick Patterson scored 22 points on 9-of-10 shooting, including a handful of dunks, while John Wall added 17 points and 11 assists for the Wildcats (33-2).
Micah Williams had 18 points for ETSU (20-15), which trailed by as much as 30 in the first half and never threatened in the second.
Justin Tubbs added 16 points and Adam Sollazzo 14 for the Buccaneers, who as a 16th seed last season gave Pittsburgh a first-round scare. ETSU simply could not summon a similar performance against the Southeastern Conference champion Wildcats, who have three freshman starters but brushed off any worries about inexperience in the tournament.
Kentucky hit from all areas of the court, seemingly making a 3 for every slam dunk. Kentucky made 15 3-pointers on 33 attempts. The Wildcats shot 51.7 percent overall (31 of 60).
Meanwhile, Kentucky, which simply had more size, speed and talent than ETSU, held the Bucs to 35.9 percent shooting (23 of 64). The Bucs seemed so rattled they had trouble hitting free throws, missing 16 of their 37 attempts from the foul line.
Kentucky’s DeMarcus Cousins blocked four shots, and Bledsoe had four steals.
Kentucky started fast and never looked back. The Wildcats had assists on their first seven baskets, four by Wall.
Patterson had 11 points before seven minutes had elapsed, and his breakaway two-handed jam on a long pass from DeAndre Liggins highlighted a 14-0 run that staked the Wildcats to a 23-10 lead.
Williams’ driving floater off the glass ended that run, but it only got worse from there for the Bucs.
Three of Bledsoe’s four first-half 3s followed, and Kentucky threw down a slew of alley-oop dunks. The Wildcats widened their lead to 30 when Ramon Harris’ 3 made it 54-24 with 1:11 to go before halftime.
Kentucky was better from 3-point range in the first half (7 of 14), than ETSU was from the free throw line (2 of 11). The Bucs missed their first eight foul shots before Tommy Hubbard put back the last of those misses as he was fouled and converted the three-point play.
Only moments later, Kentucky was on the attack again with Darnell Dodson finding Daniel Orton for a thunderous alley-oop dunk. Patterson followed with his third dunk of the half on a strong baseline move, and after Hubbard’s jumper on the other end, Orton heaved another alley-oop lob that Patterson skied to grab and throw down.
Local Sports
Bledsoe beatdown
Kentucky freshman Eric Bledsoe set a school record with eight three-pointers
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Cards stand ground
It took a team effort, but South Laurel was able to make the big play late to defeat Harlan County, 5-4, and advance to the semifinals of the 13th Region Baseball Tournament.
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Moving on
It wasn’t easy, but North Laurel managed to sneak by Corbin, 2-1, during the first round of the 13th Region Baseball Tournament Monday.
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Lady Cards slip past Clay County
James Burns’ South Laurel Lady Cardinals continued a recurring theme in the first round of the 13th Region Fastpitch Tournament — scoring runs with two outs and nobody on.
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Bell eliminates Knox Central
Bell County built a comfortable 3-0 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth inning against Knox Central in first round action of the 13th Region Fastpitch Tournament Monday, but still needed a leaping catch by centerfielder Alisha Russell to seal the deal on the Lady Bobcats’ win over the Lady Panthers.
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Errors lead to Barbourville’s 15-0 loss to Harlan County
A crucial error in the second inning led to five unearned runs for Harlan County, as the Lady Black Bears cruised to an easy 15-0 win over Barbourville in four innings Monday during first round action of the 13th Region Fastpitch Tournament.
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Knox Central puts up fight before losing to Middlesboro, 6-2
Middlesboro’s Nick Capps took care of business and managed to hold off Knox Central, 6-2, to advance to the second round of the 13th Region Baseball Tournament Monday.
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North runs win streak to 19 games
The North Laurel Lady Jaguars were clicking on all cylinders Monday during first round action of the 13th Region Fastpitch Tournament as they defeated Corbin in five innings, 12-0.
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Tigers drop 10-2 decision
Clay County was forced to put the ball on the ground, but once they did they were able to get going as they defeated Barbourville, 10-2, during the first round of the 13th Region Tournament Monday.
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Who really are the favorites this year?
Corbin and North Laurel High Schools’ first round match-ups in both the 13th Region Baseball Tournament and 13th Region Fastpitch Tournament will highlight Monday’s first round action.
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Fantastic Finish
Brandon Hillard’s Knox Central Panthers almost pulled off a shocker before falling to rival Barbourville, 7-6, in the finals of the 51st District title game Thursday.
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