Georgia Bulldogs at Kentucky Wildcats

Washington's 18 points lifts Kentucky over Georgia, 62-49

Big Blue Nation was on hand, and in full force, as the Wildcats made their tournament debut with a 62-49 win over Georgia in the quarterfinals on Friday.

Of the 16,364 in attendance for the afternoon tipoff, the sea of blue left little doubt about whether Kentucky's usual crop of heralded freshmen would feel right at home against the surprising No. 12 seed Bulldogs (18-15).

"I think there was more blue than any other team in the whole tournament," Wildcats freshman Kevin Knox said. "... They travel pretty much anywhere else in the world to watch us play. It's good to know you've got your fans in there when you play any game, and they're there to support you."

Knox and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander each added 15 points in the win, which was Kentucky's fifth in its last six games following a four-game losing streak.

Georgia was playing its third game in as many days after advancing in the tournament with earlier victories over Vanderbilt and Missouri . The emotionally charged Bulldogs took a 23-22 lead late in the first half after a pair of free throws by Associated Press SEC player of the year Yante Maten, but the edge was short-lived.

The Wildcats responded with an 8-0 run to take a 30-23 halftime lead and surged ahead by as many as 17 points in the second half.

Tyree Crump led Georgia with 17 points, while Maten was held to nine points on 2 of 10 shooting. The Bulldogs' 49 points were the lowest Kentucky has limited any opponent to this season.

"It was their third game in three days," Calipari said. "Our whole thing was: `Let's get into their legs. Let's pressure them. Let's do things to get into their legs.' That was probably the biggest reason."

WILD WASHINGTON

The 6-foot-7 Washington finished 8 of 12 from the field for Kentucky, the sixth straight game the freshman has shot 50 percent or higher. Washington has followed a stretch of five games in a row of scoring in single digits by scoring 10 or more in seven straight, and he's connected on 35 of 52 shots (67.3 percent) during that run.

BIG PICTURE

Kentucky: The Wildcats played without forward Jarred Vanderbilt, who injured an ankle during practice earlier this week. The 6-foot-9 freshman has led Kentucky in rebounding with 7.9 boards per game since returning from a foot injury that kept him out for the first 17 games of the season. He's done so in only an average of 17 minutes per game, and Calipari said afterward he doesn't expect Vanderbilt to play in Saturday's semifinal.

UP NEXT

Georgia waits to learn its postseason fate.

The Wildcats face ninth-seeded Alabama on Saturday.

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Follow Kurt Voigt on Twitter at (at)Kurt-Voigt-AP

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