TAMPA, Fla. — Brandon Knight missed his first seven shots and found himself on the bench in the final minute against Princeton.
His confidence could have been shaken. His ego could have been bruised. After all, he was a freshman playing in his first NCAA Tournament game.
Held scoreless for more than 39 minutes, Knight made a driving layup with two seconds remaining to lift No. 4 seed Kentucky (26-8) to a 59-57 win over 13th-seeded Princeton on Thursday.
“I have all the faith and confidence in the world in him,” Wildcats coach John Calipari said. “He’s not afraid to make a play. Guys like him aren’t afraid to miss.”
The Tigers (25-7) shut down Knight for much of the game, doubling him on drives, putting a hand in his face on the perimeter and contesting every shot.
“If we lose that game, the season’s over,” said Knight, who grew up about a four-hour drive southeast of Tampa in Fort Lauderdale. “I would have been happy as long as we won, no matter who hit the shot. I was just fortunate enough to be in that situation to help my team get that win.”
No. 5 West Virginia 84, No. 12 Clemson 76.
Darryl Bryant scored 19 points and Kevin Jones added 17 to help the Mountaineers (21-11) overcome a slow start and wear down the Tigers (22-12).
Bryant’s four-point play and a long 3-pointer by Jones that tied it 40-40 at the half highlighted a game-changing 28-8 run that enabled West Virginia to turn a 10-point deficit into a 57-47 lead. The Associated Press
