On a roster loaded with talented underclassmen, Kentucky freshman point guard Marquis Teague’s focus has been running the offense and allowing the likes of Anthony Davis, Doron Lamb, Terrence Jones and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist pile up the points.
But in Saturday’s round-of-32 matchup with Iowa State, Teague took the opportunity to show off his own scoring prowess.
With a season-high 24 points and six assists, Teague led the way as the top-seeded Wildcats blew past the Cyclones for a 87-71 victory.
The win sends the Wildcats into the Sweet 16 where they will face Indiana — the only team to beat them in the regular season.
The Wildcats took an 11-point lead into halftime, but Iowa State stormed back to tie the game at 42 on Scott Christopherson’s layup less than four minutes into the second half.
But Teague and Darius Miller led a 20-2 Kentucky run over the next six minutes that helped the Wildcats pull away for good.
Davis had 15 points and 11 rebounds, Miller scored 19 points and Lamb added 16 for Kentucky, which piled up 18 assists and was 10 of 20 from three-point range.
Royce White led the Cyclones with 23 points and nine rebounds and Chris Allen added 16 points but hit only one of his 10 three-point attempts.
Box score: Kentucky 87, Iowa State 71
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