Kentucky reached the Sweet 16 for the seventh time in the John Calipari era with a 95-75 victory over Buffalo in the South Region.
The Wildcats put on an excellent performance on the offensive side of the court, as they shot 56.3 percent from the field and connected on 7 of 15 attempts from 3-point range.
Kentucky held Buffalo to just 38.8 percent shooting from the floor and only 22.6 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
That was a drastic difference from the Bulls’ first round game against Arizona, which saw Nate Oats’ team go 15 of 30 from long distance.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way for Kentucky with 27 points on 10-of-12 shooting, with the freshman adding six rebounds and six assists in 39 minutes of action. Hamidou Diallo added 22 for the Wildcats.
Wes Clark paced Buffalo with 26 points and knocked down a game-high four 3-pointers.
Kentucky scored a 42-30 advantage in the rebounding battle, which included 12 second chance points off of 13 offensive rebounds. The Wildcats also outscored the Bulls 44-30 in points in the paint.
John Calipari’s team will now await the winner of the second round matchup between Kansas State and UMBC.
The Retrievers made history on Friday in becoming the first No. 16 seed to score a win over a No. 1 seed.