The anticipated rematch between the UK men’s basketball team and the UCLA Bruins lived up to its hype. After a first half that featured 13 lead changes, the Cats were able to pull away late to take down the Bruins 86-75 to advance to the Elite Eight.

The first half was very competitive as neither team held a lead any bigger than five. De’Aaron Fox got hot early, scoring the first eight points for UK and finishing the first half with 15.

TJ Leaf kept the game close for the Bruins, scoring 13 points. Despite Leaf’s contributions, and some nifty assists from Lonzo Ball, the Bruins trailed the Cats by three at the half.

Coming out of halftime, Fox kept attacking the rim and creating open shots for himself. Fox would score 24 more points in the second half, bringing his total to 39, a new career high, and the fourth most point total for any UK player in NCAA tournament history.

Monk also caught fire in the second half, scoring 14 after the break to finish with 21. With the freshman guards knocking down shots, and the defense slowing down UCLA’s offense near the end of the game, the Cats were able to pull away from the Bruins for the double-digit win.

The Cats will now face the North Carolina Tar Heels for a chance to go to the Final Four. Tipoff is set for 4:05 central time.

MVP: De’Aaron Fox

When you score the most points by a UK freshman in the NCAA tournament, you are likely to be the MVP of the game. Fox was scoring early and often, and it continued throughout the entire game.

“Since the postseason started I been in attack mode, my teammates just kept pulling for me,” Fox said. “I just made shots today.”

Fox’s excellent display on offense allowed other players to get open themselves. As well as Monk’s big game, Dominique Hawkins scored 11 points himself while knocking down three three’s.

Key Moment in the Game: 8-0 run by UK to take a 13-point lead with 5:15 remaining

Up until that point, it was undecided who would walk out of the arena with the victory. The Cats’ offense was in rhythm but UCLA would always answer back to keep the game close, until UK’s late run.

During the run, UCLA went scoreless for nearly three minutes because of UK’s much-improved defense as of late. If UK did not find a way to slow down the Bruins’ offense, it is possible that this game could have gone down to the final minute.

Another key moment came when Monk found his jump shot again, scoring 10 straight points in two minutes early in the second half.

At that point, Fox had been the only player on offense making an impact, and adding another offensive threat on the floor in Monk helped UK keep up with UCLA’s fast offense.

“Malik (Monk) started slow but then came on and made some shots that created a gap,” John Calipari said.

Trending Up: UK’s Stock

Many knew that the team that escaped Friday evening’s Sweet 16 matchup was one that could contend for a title, and after the performance the Cats put on; many people are starting to believe winning it all is possible.

The Cats held the No. 1 offense in the country to 75 points, while putting up 86 points on the offensive end. Fox is not going to score 30-plus points every game from here on out, but the Cats scored 86 points with Derek Willis going 3-11 from the floor, and Bam Adebayo only scoring two points.

To get to the National Championship game, the Cats have to get through the Tar Heels first in the Elite Eight.

“It’s a quick turn, we’re going to practice tomorrow, and that will be the practice,” Calipari said. “I’m looking forward to the game just because I like my team, we got a good group of kids.”