GREENSBORO, N.C. — Oscar Tshiebwe and Lance Ware faced their lockers. CJ Fredrick had tears in his eyes. Aside from the shuffling of feet, silence reigned inside Kentucky's locker room at Greensboro Coliseum Sunday evening.
The sixth-seeded Wildcats' 2022-23 campaign ended at the hands of No. 3-seed Kansas State, 75-69, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
It brought an end to an underachieving season for UK (22-12). The Wildcats returned the reigning unanimous player of the year in Tshiebwe, experienced complementary pieces around him and another stellar recruiting class — starting the year as a top-five squad with hopes of making an 18th Final Four and winning a ninth national title.