18 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist vs. Kentucky
When we think back to Tech’s gut-wrenching 76-74 OT loss to Kentucky in late January, we will first remember Davide Moretti’s missed free-throw in the final minute that could have given his team the lead, Tech’s two failed possessions in the final minute of OT, and even Kentucky’s half-court shot to beat the first-half buzzer. But we must not forget the way that Kyler Edwards almost carried the Red Raiders to a win.
Leading the way with 18 points while equaling Chris Clarke for the team lead with seven rebounds, Edwards was the only Red Raider guard that played well that night. That’s because both Davide Moretti and Jahmi’us Ramsey struggled mightily.
While Moretti did have 15 points, he was just 4-13 from the floor and 1-6 from 3-point range. Ramsey was a mere 3-9 overall and 0-2 from behind the arc on his way to just six points.
Therefore, Tech needed someone to step up his game and that proved to be Kyler Edwards. However, he scored just four points after halftime.
But on the other hand, those four points came in the OT period when the game was at its most intense. In the end, Edwards played one of his best games of the year when the lights were the brightest and the eyes of the sport on a national level were watching.
Edwards has made a habit of doing that in his brief Red Raider career. For instance, he had 12 points in the 2019 National Title Game, which was the second-highest scoring day of his freshman season. That’s one way that he can continue to help his team because there should be plenty more big-time games in his future.