Number-six seed Kentucky made easy work of 11th-seeded Providence 61-53 in the first round of the NCAA tournament in Greensboro.
Antonio Reeves led all scorers with 22 points while Jacob Toppin netted 18 for the Wildcats. Oscar Tshiebwe was a monster in the paint and grabbed 25 rebounds while scoring eight points.
Ed Croswell netted 16 points for the Friars, which ends the season 21-and-12.
Providence Coach Ed Cooley said that the game was decided in the paint.
Kentucky out-rebounded the Friars by a margin of 48-31, including 18-8 in offensive boards.
Kentucky also outscored the Friars 18-2 on second chance points.
The 53 points that they scored was the lowest point total of the season.
Kentucky advances to the second round in the East region and will play Number-3 Kansas State on Sunday.
(Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Photo: Getty Images