Tshiebwe's 25 rebounds help Kentucky grab win over Providence, 61-53

Tshiebwe, a 6-foot-9 senior forward who has a career average of 12.1 rebounds per game, grabbed 25 rebounds, second most by a player in the modern NCAA Tournament era, just one behind Michigan's Phil Hubbard, whose 26 came in 1977. Tshiebwe moved ahead of NC State's Tom Burleson, who grabbed 24 in 1974.

The victory helped ease the pain Kentucky felt when it fell out of the 2022 tournament in an opening-round loss to St. Peter's.

"Yeah, it was a big relief, obviously. I know what this team was capable of, so we got the job done," said forward Jacob Toppin. "So, props to my teammates. We all stuck together. Even when they made their runs, we didn't put our heads down. We kept fighting."

Kentucky (22-11) will play the winner of Friday night's second game between Kansas State and Montana State, which was not over at press time.

Even with the performance on the boards — Tshiebwe had 14 defensive rebounds — two plays at the offensive end made a huge difference in the outcome. With Providence trailing 50-46, Tshiebwe dunked after Cason Wallace missed a layup with 4:06 remaining. Nearly two minutes later, he intercepted a pass from Providence's Noah Locke and headed for the Wildcat basket. 

Chris Livingston missed the layup, but Tshiebwe grabbed the rebound and got the ball back to Livingston, who scored on a layup to extend Kentucky's lead to 54-46 with 2:43 to go. The Friars were no closer than six points from there.

"I told all my teammates, I said this year we come in and fight," Tshiebwe said. Last year doesn't matter anymore. Now, you know this tournament is about fighting. It's about who fights the most. That's the one who is going to keep moving." 

Despite the lack of an ACC presence, Kentucky and Providence fans filled most of the lower bowl of the Greensboro Coliseum and much of the upper deck. Wildcats made their presence most obvious when they booed a picture of Christian Laettner which appeared on the big video board hanging above the court. For the first 16 minutes, their respective teams kept them engaged; there were six lead changes and three ties.

Arguably the loudest cheers of the night were saved for Fairleigh Dickinson, the 16th seed in the East Regional. The Knights, who are at the upper half of the bracket, knocked off top-seeded Purdue in Columbus, Ohio, to advance to the second round. Portions of the game were shown on the video board, and fans booed when the coverage was taken down, especially in the closing seconds.

Meanwhile, in Greensboro, the Friars challenged the more physical Wildcats under the basket, and it kept them within striking distance for the first 16 minutes in the first half. But Providence only hit three of its 11 3-point tries and that deficiency caught up with them in the closing four minutes. 

Kentucky dominated the boards on their end in the first 20 minutes, grabbing 13 offensive rebounds that led to 12 points. Tshiebwe had 13 rebounds alone in the half. But it was a four-minute run that put the Wildcats in charge.

Providence (21-12) closed to 26-25 after Corey Floyd Jr. scored on an alley-oop with 4:28 left. Kentucky responded with a 12-2 run in which Reeves produced eight points and Toppin had the other four. Toppin capped it with a driving layup with 32 seconds left before halftime, giving Kentucky a 38-28 edge. Jared Bynum's step-back 3-pointer with a second left set the score at 38-31 at the break. 

The Friars had 31 rebounds. Ed Croswell, who led Providence with 16 points, gave credit to Tshiebwe.

"I mean, he just gets the ball, man," Croswell said. "He is a world-class rebounder. You know, you have to box that guy out, two, three people. He really displayed his dominance on the board today." 

Reeves led the Wildcats with 22 points, and Toppin added 18 including a 6-for-6 effort at the free throw line in the final minute.

Kentucky Coach John Calipari won his 169th game when coaching games in March and April. The Wildcats are in the second round for the 32nd time in program history, including the 10th time under Calipari. And the victory gives Kentucky 130 wins in the NCAA tournament, one short of the record set by North Carolina.