North Carolina Loses To Kentucky In The CBS Classic

On Saturday North Carolina who is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference lost to Kentucky who is a member of the Southeastern Conference in the CBS Sports Classic.

Keldon Johnson scored 23 points, Reid Travis added 20, and No. 19 Kentucky beat ninth-ranked North Carolina 80-72 Saturday in a matchup between two of college basketball's winningest programs. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2018/12/22/mens-basketball-tar-heels-fall-to-kentucky-80-72.aspx

Johnson scored 16 in the second half, helping the Wildcats (9-2) hold off the Tar Heels (8-3) in their first meeting since the 2017 NCAA South Regional final. North Carolina won that game on a last-second jumper by Luke Maye en route to its sixth national title. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2018/12/22/mens-basketball-tar-heels-fall-to-kentucky-80-72.aspx

This time, Johnson came on strong down the stretch after Travis got off to a scorching start. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2018/12/22/mens-basketball-tar-heels-fall-to-kentucky-80-72.aspx

Johnson hit three 3-pointers in the second half and made 4 of 7 from beyond the arc overall. Travis scored 16 as the Wildcats grabbed a 40-31 halftime lead. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2018/12/22/mens-basketball-tar-heels-fall-to-kentucky-80-72.aspx

Tyler Herro scored 15. PJ Washington added 11 points, nine rebounds and a career-high eight assists, and Kentucky won its second in a row since an overtime loss to Seton Hall at Madison Square Garden. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2018/12/22/mens-basketball-tar-heels-fall-to-kentucky-80-72.aspx

Cameron Johnson led North Carolina with 17 points. Maye scored 16 for the Tar Heels, who knocked off then-No. 4 Gonzaga one week earlier. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2018/12/22/mens-basketball-tar-heels-fall-to-kentucky-80-72.aspx

It was the Tar Heels' first game since the school announced an eight-year contract extension through the 2027-28 season for Hall of Fame coach Roy Williams. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2018/12/22/mens-basketball-tar-heels-fall-to-kentucky-80-72.aspx

Kentucky was leading 66-55 with just under eight minutes to go after Keldon Johnson nailed 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2018/12/22/mens-basketball-tar-heels-fall-to-kentucky-80-72.aspx

North Carolina then cut the lead to six, but two steals by Ashton Hagans helped bump it back up to 11. The first led to a 3 by PJ Washington, and Hagans then scored on a breakaway layup off another steal to make it 71-60 with 5:50 left. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2018/12/22/mens-basketball-tar-heels-fall-to-kentucky-80-72.aspx

TIP-INS

North Carolina: Coming off the win over Gonzaga, the Tar Heels fell short against another nonconference powerhouse. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2018/12/22/mens-basketball-tar-heels-fall-to-kentucky-80-72.aspx

Kentucky: The Wildcats scored 20 points off 17 turnovers but struggled from 3-point range, making 9 of 26 “according to https://goheels.com/news/2018/12/22/mens-basketball-tar-heels-fall-to-kentucky-80-72.aspx

North Carolina will return to the court on Saturday against Davidson. Tip-off is set for 12:00pm from the Dean E. Smith Center. The game will be televised on ESPN2.