March Madness creates a special kind of fever. You know the one. It’s that feeling where a mid-major team with a funny-sounding name suddenly looks like a group of future NBA All-Stars against a blue blood. When the brackets dropped and we saw Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball vs Troy basketball in the first round, the "upset alert" sirens were blaring. People were practically tripping over themselves to pick the Trojans.
Troy was coming off a historic 23-win season. They had the Sun Belt Player of the Year. They had continuity. Kentucky, meanwhile, was in the middle of the Mark Pope transition year, and honestly, the vibes were a bit chaotic heading into Milwaukee.
But then the ball actually tipped.
The 16-0 Punch That Silenced the Hype
The game started exactly how the "experts" predicted. Troy was scrappy. They were physical. For about 15 minutes, it looked like Kentucky was in real trouble. The score was knotted at 19-19 with 7:35 left in the first half. You could hear the collective intake of breath from Big Blue Nation.
Troy’s defense is no joke. Coach Scott Cross had these guys flying around, forcing Kentucky into uncomfortable spots. They were holding the No. 4 scoring offense in the country to a literal crawl.
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Then, Kentucky did what Kentucky does.
A 10-0 run to close the half gave the Cats an eight-point cushion. But the real story was the second half. Just when Troy cut the lead to six and the Trojans' bench was jumping, Kentucky hit them with a 16-0 blitz.
Boom. Game over.
It wasn't just that they scored; it was how they did it. Mark Pope’s system is built on "controllables," and the Cats dominated the glass and the paint. Troy simply didn't have the size to keep up once the game turned into a track meet.
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Otega Oweh and the Blue Blood Standard
If you want to know why Kentucky won, look at Otega Oweh. He was the best player on the floor, and it wasn't particularly close.
Oweh finished with a game-high 20 points, but his stat line was a "Swiss Army Knife" special: eight rebounds, six assists, and two steals. He was everywhere. When Troy tried to speed the game up, Oweh settled things down. When they went small, he punished them inside.
It’s easy to forget that this Kentucky team had six players scoring in double figures during the regular season. That depth is a nightmare for a team like Troy. Even on a night where some of the shooters were cold, Brandon Garrison came off the bench to drop 13. Andrew Carr had 13. Koby Brea had 13.
Troy relied heavily on Tayton Conerway and Myles Rigsby. Rigsby played his heart out for 17 points, but Conerway—the engine of that Troy team—was held to just 12 points on 12 shots. Kentucky’s length, specifically Amari Williams lurking in the paint, made every layup feel like a chore.
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Why the "Upset" Never Actually Happened
So, why did so many people get this wrong? Basically, it comes down to a misunderstanding of how Troy plays versus how Kentucky handles pressure.
- The Rebounding Myth: Troy was top-5 nationally in offensive rebounding percentage. Everyone thought they’d get second-chance points all night. Instead, Kentucky’s size neutralized them. Thomas Dowd fought for 11 boards, but the Trojans only managed 10 second-chance points.
- The Pope Factor: There was a narrative that Mark Pope might struggle in his first NCAA Tournament game at Kentucky. Instead, he looked like a veteran. He made a key adjustment in the second half to utilize Collin Chandler’s speed, which sparked that decisive 16-0 run.
- Shooting Variance: Troy lived and died by the three. They shot 25% from deep in this game. You can’t beat a No. 3 seed while shooting 25% from beyond the arc. It's just math.
Looking Back at the Numbers
The final score of 76-57 actually feels closer than the game was in the final ten minutes. Kentucky finished shooting 47.5% from the field. They shared the ball beautifully, racking up 23 assists on 28 made field goals.
For Troy, this wasn't a failure—it was a ceiling. They ran into a team that was better, taller, and more disciplined. Scott Cross admitted it afterward, noting that Amari Williams "plugged up everything in the paint."
What We Can Learn from This Matchup
If you're looking for actionable takeaways from Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball vs Troy basketball, focus on the blueprint for beating mid-major darlings.
- Size Still Matters: In the portal era, it’s tempting to think small-ball can win everything. But elite rim protection (like Williams) remains the ultimate equalizer in the tournament.
- Depth Kills: Troy’s starters played heavy minutes. By the 12-minute mark of the second half, they looked gassed. Kentucky’s bench points were the quiet hero of the night.
- Don't Overvalue Continuity: Troy had 66% of their minutes returning. Kentucky was a brand-new roster. Talent and coaching system often outweigh "time spent together" once you hit March.
If you’re scouting future matchups, keep a close eye on Kentucky’s perimeter defense. While they smothered Troy, later games in the 2026 season showed that high-level SEC guards can still give them fits. For Troy, the goal now is building on this. They proved they belong on the big stage; they just need one more big man to actually compete with the giants.
Check the latest SEC standings to see how Mark Pope's squad is handling the current conference slate, or dive into the Troy Trojans' upcoming recruitment class to see if they're adding the size needed for another run.