LaMarch Butler leads Kentucky to halftime lead vs. Illinois

Mark Pope called his shot — and ‘LaMarch’ Butler is delivering.

The Kentucky coach said, “I actually think he’s going to be amazing” when asked about his starting point guard ahead of the Wildcats’ matchup against Illinois. The result? 10 first-half points for Butler to lead the team, shooting 3-3 from the field while adding three assists, one rebound and one steal in 17 minutes.

Koby Brea has been terrific, too, adding nine points on 4-8 shooting with four rebounds, followed by Trent Noah and Amari Williams with four apiece and Collin Chandler and Ansley Almonor with three each. As a team, Kentucky is shooting 45.2 percent from the field and 38.5 percent from three — but just 50.0 percent at the line on 4-8 overall.

For the Fighting Illini, it’s Kylan Boswell leading the way with 10 points, followed by Tomislav Ivisic with eight and Will Riley and Kasparas Jakucionis with five. They’re shooting 42.9 percent from the field and 21.4 percent from deep.

Other numbers to keep an eye on: Illinois up 21-15 on the glass, but down 8-4 on turnovers, leading to 14 points the other direction for Kentucky.

Check out the complete box score:

20 minutes to the Sweet 16, folks. Can the Cats do it?

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