LOUISVILLE, KY – The No. 1-seeded Kentucky Wildcats opened their 2015 NCAA tournament with a 79-56 victory against the Hampton Pirates late Thursday night. Hampton earned the right to dance with the cats through a victory over Manhattan in a first-four matchup, but found themselves soon overpowered by the SEC juggernaut. The Pirates’ Quinton Chievious led all scorers with 22 points, but it was no match for a well-balanced Kentucky team that had four players scoring in double-digits.
Kentucky advances to face Cincinnati on Saturday, who beat Purdue in overtime in the evening’s first game.
John Sadak and Bill Frieder called the action on Westwood One Sports.