Kentucky vs. UCLA: Score and Twitter Reaction from March Madness 2017

Kentucky freshman guard De'Aaron Fox produced the best individual game of the NCAA tournament thus far by scoring 39 points on 13-of-20 shooting as the Wildcats beat UCLA, 86-75, in the Sweet 16.

Fox's scoring output is an NCAA tournament freshman record, as ESPN Stats & Info noted after Fox broke the previous mark:

Fox was a terror all over the court, slicing through the Bruins defense for buckets all night. As Jeff Goodman of ESPN noted, he was the star of the show:

UK freshman guard Malik Monk was also fantastic, scoring 21 points. His long-range shooting was on point all game, and he looked ready for the professional ranks as he hit an NBA-range three-pointer late in the first half (check the third highlight here):

On the UCLA side, freshman forward TJ Leaf and senior guard Isaac Hamilton scored 17 points each, but freshman point guard Lonzo Ball struggled on both ends of the court. Ball scored 10 points and dished eight assists, but he also committed four turnovers and made just 1-of-6 three-pointers.

Although the night didn't go as planned for UCLA, the Bruins hung around in the first half and made the highlight reel twice. 

First, Ball sliced a sweet pass to center Thomas Welsh for a strong slam dunk:

Later on, forward Gyorgy Goloman threw down a ferocious two-handed jam to give UCLA a 20-19 lead: 

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At one point, it looked like UK-UCLA would be a fast-paced party filled with dunks on both ends of the court:

However, this game didn't follow the script that UK and UCLA's early-season game followed in December. During that contest, UCLA won 97-92 in a back-and-forth affair. This time around, UK's defense was a little stiffer and the pace a bit slower.

Fox and Ball each made great defensive plays in the second half. First, Fox went for the steal and the slam to give Kentucky a 40-35 advantage:

Ball responded later in the game by swatting an Isaiah Briscoe layup attempt into the barrier separating the UK band and the fans:

However, Fox and Monk were simply too strong down the stretch. Together, they scored 31 of UK's first 33 second-half points.

Kentucky will now face North Carolina in the Elite Eight. This game will also be a rematch, as UK beat UNC 103-100 behind a remarkable 47-point performance from Monk in December. Junior forward Justin Jackson led the Tar Heels with 34.

Postgame Reaction

After the game, Ball announced that he would be forgoing his final three years of NCAA eligibility to enter the NBA draft:

Ball enjoyed a great season at UCLA. He was named a Naismith Player of the Year finalist and averaged 14.7 points, 7.6 assists and 6.1 rebounds per game. Ball will almost certainly be a top-three pick in the NBA draft (he is currently slated No. 2 in DraftExpress' latest mock).

On the other side, Fox received much praise after the game for his fantastic performance: