Brea made 10 of 16 field goals, including 3 of 8 3-pointers. Kentucky (24-11) advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2019.
“I feel like God has a plan for this team,” Brea said in the postgame press conference. “We’ve gone through a lot this year. We have faced a lot of triumphs. A lot of people didn’t think we were going to be here. This is a testament of what God has done for us.”
Brea scored six of Kentucky’s first 13 points. Midway through the second half, he scored eight points in 59 seconds, turning a 60-51 lead into a 68-53 advantage.
“Obviously, it felt really good,” Brea said, “but at the end of the day, you’re focused on the game and winning the game. Those things happened as you’re competing. My teammates — I felt it this whole year, honestly, but today they kept confiding in me. And I can see how much they trust me and how much confidence they put in me. They want me to keep going, especially when I get hot like that. It means everything to me, and makes me a better player just to know they have my back.”
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Brea averaged 11.1 points in his final season at Dayton. He’s averaging 11.8 points as a fifth-year guard at Kentucky. His 3-point shooting percentage declined from 49.8%, the best mark in the nation in the 2023-24 season, to 43.8%, still the best mark on the Kentucky roster.
Brea was the Atlantic 10 Sixth Man of the Year twice in his career at Dayton. He has started 15 of 35 games for Kentucky, including both NCAA tournament games.
Brea had 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting in a 76-57 victory against Troy in the first round. He made 3 of 6 3-pointers.
Brea scored 15 and 14 points, respectively, for Dayton in NCAA tournament games against Nevada and Arizona last season. He made 9 of 16 3s in those games.
“I think experience is everything when it comes to college basketball,” Brea said, “just being able to have a couple years under your belt and not be phased by the moment. Kinda feels like we have been here before. Doesn’t feel too new. We’ve been through a lot. This upcoming game is going to be new to me, but excited to be a part of something special.”
Kentucky will play No. 2 seed Tennessee at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Kentucky beat Tennessee twice in the regular season. They are two of seven Southeastern Conference teams in the Sweet 16.
First-year Kentucky coach Mark Pope described Brea’s performance Sunday as extraordinary.
“I think he is the best shooter in college basketball,” Pope said, “and he’s in the process of becoming an elite-level cutter. To his teammates’ credit, guys were setting big-time screens. And then he just has incredible poise.”
Brea wasn’t the only former Flyer playing in the NCAA tournament with another team:
• Mustapha Amzil, who spent three seasons at Dayton, scored 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting for No. 10 New Mexico in a 71-63 loss to No. 2 seed Michigan State on Sunday night in Cleveland. It was the last college basketball game of Amzil’s career.
Amzil scored four points, all at the free-throw line, in a 75-66 victory against No. 7 seed Marquette on Friday.
• The career of Kobe Elvis, who also spent three seasons at Dayton, ended in the first round. He had two points on 1-of-5 shooting for No. 9 seed Oklahoma in a 67-59 loss to No. 8 Connecticut.
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