ATLANTA, Ga. — In a battle of the blue bloods, Kentucky blue was victorious. No. 14 Kentucky upset No. 9 North Carolina 87-83 in this year's edition of the CBS Sports Classic, in another all-time performance between the Wildcats and the Tar Heels.
In the end, it was Rob Dillingham who paced the Cats with 17 points. But overall, balanced scoring was key for Kentucky, with four players in double-figure scoring. DJ Wagner had 14, while Aaron Bradshaw earned 12 and Reed Sheppard added 11.
Every player had his role, from Dillingham's well-timed buckets, to Wagner's poise under pressure, to Sheppard's steals, to Ugonna Onyeno's blocks in his first game action of the season. Adou Thiero had seven points and four blocks in 17 minutes.
For the Tar Heels, RJ Davis led the way with 27 points, while Armando Bacot was held to nine points and six rebounds.
Kentucky scored the first points of the top-15 matchup, and the Cats never looked back. UK maintained its lead for the duration of the half and led by as many as 11 points, paced by a balanced offensive attack. Thiero, Sheppard, Wagner and Bradshaw each had seven points at the break. But it wasn't all Cats, all the time. North Carolina ended the half on an 8-0 run to cut Kentucky's lead to two, 40-38.
The second half was a showcase. The team-wide effort continued for Kentucky, as the Cats kept their cool in front of a sellout of 17,058 fans, despite Carolina's attempted comeback.
The Tar Heels earned their first lead of the game with 5:15 to play, off of two free throws by Bacot. It would be their only lead of the game.
Kentucky finished the game shooting 42 percent from the floor, 35 percent from deep, and 73 percent from the charity stripe. Bradshaw helped close out a victory with his 3-5 performance at the charity stripe.
With the win, Kentucky moves to 8-2 on the season.
The Wildcats will return to action Thursday, December 21st, when they travel to Louisville for the annual rivalry matchup between the Cats and the Cards. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. on ESPN.
