INDIANAPOLIS — Kentucky’s freshmen showed the new kids on their block how it’s done at tournament time.
Bam Adebayo had 15 points and 18 rebounds on Friday night as Kentucky overcame plenty of freshmen mistakes and beat stubborn Northern Kentucky 79-70 in the South Region of the NCAA Tournament .
The second-seeded Wildcats (30-5) won their 12th straight and got their first-game jitters out of the way. They also wound up with a surprisingly close finish after pulling ahead by 18 points in the second half, showing their inexperience on the March stage.
“Well, that’s freshmen, so I will tell you this is all a learning curve,” coach John Calipari said.