How Kentucky's season-high turnover total killed Wildcats chances of advancing past first weekend of March Madness
Here is more on how Kentucky's turnover issues led to blowout second round loss to Iowa State.
How Kentucky's season-high turnover total killed Wildcats chances of advancing past first weekend of March Madness originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . The Kentucky Wildcats have been eliminated from the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
They earned a No. 7 seed for the tourney and beat No. 10 Santa Clara by five points in the first round to advance to the Round of 32.
The Wildcats matched up with No. 2 Iowa State in the second round. While they were underdogs on paper, the Cyclones were down Joshua Jefferson , one of their best players, due to an ankle injury.
Kentucky led for most of the first half, with Iowa State scoring at the buzzer to take the 31-30 lead. While the first half was razor close, the second half could not have been more lopsided. The Wildcats couldn't control the ball, turning it over 20 times on their way to an 82-63 loss.