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Kentucky, UCLA leave Bluegrass State on way to Sweet 16

Kentucky guard Aaron Harrison, second from right, and head coach John Calipari listen to the official's explanation of a technical foul called on Harrison during the second half of an NCAA tournament college basketball game against Cincinnati in Louisville, Ky., Saturday, March 21, 2015. Kentucky won the game 64-51. (AP Photo/David Stephenson)
Kentucky guard Aaron Harrison, second from right, and head coach John Calipari listen to the official's explanation of a technical foul called on Harrison during the second half of an NCAA tournament college basketball game against Cincinnati in Louisville, Ky., Saturday, March 21, 2015. Kentucky won the game 64-51. (AP Photo/David Stephenson) Kentucky guard Aaron Harrison, second from right, and head coach John Calipari listen to the official's explanation of a technical foul called on Harrison during the second half of an NCAA tournament college basketball game against Cincinnati in Louisville, Ky., Saturday, March 21, 2015. Kentucky won the game 64-51. (AP Photo/David Stephenson)

By Associated Press 3 min read

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) – The Kentucky Wildcats are the first team ever to start 36-0, and the stakes just keep getting higher now that they leave the Bluegrass State for Cleveland and the Sweet 16. The UCLA Bruins think earning the first spot in a regional semifinal should be the only answer anyone needs as to why they’re in the NCAA Tournament.

“Now we’re proving that we belong,” UCLA sophomore guard Bryce Alford said.

Kentucky beat Cincinnati 64-51 on Saturday to earn its second straight Sweet 16 berth. The Wildcats will play in Thursday night’s semifinal in the Midwest Region. They are trying to become the first unbeaten champion since Indiana in 1976.

And freshman Karl-Anthony Towns says it’s funny that the Wildcats didn’t even talk about being 36-0.

“We just talked about we’re going to grow old, we’re going to get wrinkles and everything and we’ll be able to say that we are 36-0 at one point,” Towns said. “We’ve been able to do this and we made history tonight. He left us with this that we need to work harder if we want to continue making even more history and beat our history. That’s what we’re looking forward to doing.”