Jones had 22 points and 10 rebounds, Lamb scored 16 and top-seeded Kentucky began its quest for an eighth national title with an 81-66 victory over Western Kentucky on Thursday night.
"For this to be the first NCAA game for us, freshmen are usually — well I know I was last year — just a little nervous about all the pressure put on us, and it wasn't even as much pressure last year as it is this year," Jones said. "I just wanted to tell everybody to have fun and run. We just got going from there."
On a day when Syracuse nearly became the first No. 1 seed ever to lose to a 16, the Wildcats (33-2) clearly relished their growing role as favorites. Freshman and player of the year candidate Anthony Davis added 16 points, nine rebounds and seven blocks for Kentucky, which was never seriously threatened.
"I've got a good team and good players," said Kentucky coach John Calipari, who never mentioned the Orange's struggles against UNC-Asheville to his team. "Let's worry about us playing as well as we can play; if that's not good enough, then it's done."
Jones surprised many when he came back to Kentucky after his freshman year, and he has struggled at times this season with a finger injury and a diminished role because of coach Calipari's third No. 1 recruiting class. But the sophomores — Jones and Lamb — led the way on a team that's built a reputation this season as being one of the best defensive teams in the nation.
"Last year, they went through a lot. We made it to the Final Four. We had a lot tough games; we've been in a lot of intense games. I feel like they've experienced almost as much as any senior," senior Darius Miller said. "Making it to the Final Four, not everybody gets the chance to experience that. They know what it takes just as well as I do."
Freshman T.J. Price scored 16 of his 21 points in the first half to help Western Kentucky (16-19) get off to a hot start that briefly silenced the decidedly UK crowd. The Hilltoppers carried an improbable seven-game winning streak into the matchup with the Wildcats.
But the Wildcats, the No. 1 overall seed playing out of the South Regional, began overwhelming Western Kentucky late in the first half, taking advantage of a team that acknowledged before the game it was probably running on fumes.
That didn't mean the Hilltoppers didn't keep it entertaining early.
Kentucky raced out to a 10-0 lead in the first 3 minutes before Western Kentucky answered with 12 straight points, capped by Price's deep 3-pointer over Miller.
Then, Kentucky began to pull away.
Marquis Teague, who finished with 12 points, hit a jumper. Jones followed Teague's miss with a follow-up slam, and Lamb made a 3 from the left corner that put Kentucky ahead 45-26.
The Hilltoppers went the final 4:33 of the first half without a field goal, culminating with Davis blocking Teeng Akol's 3-point attempt just before the halftime horn.
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