MILWAUKEE —
Kentucky basketball took care of business in its
NCAA Tournament game Friday,
taking out double-digit-seed Troy by double digits in the first round at
Fiserv Forum . The next challenge for the
Wildcats and coach
Mark Pope appears far greater. UK, the 3-seed in the Midwest Region, squares off with 6-seed
Illinois on Sunday. All that's at stake: advancing to the second weekend of the
Big Dance by clinching a Sweet 16 spot.
Tom Leach (play-by-play) and Jack Givens (analyst) will have the UK radio network call on 840 AM in Louisville and both 630 AM and 98.1 FM in Lexington or online at
UKAthletics.com .
Kentucky and Illinois have met 15 times , with the Wildcats holding an 11-4 edge. UK has won three in a row in the series. The Wildcats and Fighting Illini haven't played since 1984, however, as
Kentucky held on for a 54-51 victory in the NCAA Mideast Regional final at Rupp Arena.
We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage. Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at [email protected] and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.