College basketball’s so-called “guarantee games” in the upper crust are assured of victories in glorified workouts are not confined to November and December. Such games can happen in the NCAA Tournament.
That was the impression Kentucky made in its first-round victory over Abilene Christian on Thursday night. Even with leading scorer and rebounder PJ Washington watching the action with a protective boot on his left foot, the Cats won as easily as the 79-44 final score suggested.
It was the second-largest margin of victory for Kentucky in an NCAA Tournament game in John Calipari’s 10 seasons as coach.