Stony Brook, Warney blown away by Kentucky in First Round

It was a valiant effort by the Seawolves, but when you're dancing with one of the powerhouses of Division I basketball, having a tough time is the best you could hope for.

Both the Stony Brook Seawolves and the Kentucky Wildcats started off shooting cold. It didn't take long for the Wildcats to make their first basket, but it took almost three minutes for them to score their next point, which came from a freethrow by Isaiah Briscoe.

Stony Brook wasn't much better. Their first points came from Rayshaun McGrew, at the 17:38 mark. By the time Kentucky started to pull away in the first half at 24-13, the overall shots from the field was about 24 percent and both teams combined for 0-for-12 from beyond the arc. And that definitely wasn't due to some incredibly defense by the Seawolves.

Jameel Warney only made three shots the entire first half. As someone very familiar with America East basketball and how dominant Warney was throughout his career, it was strange to see him struggle so much. While everyone could see the frustration building, he did keep his cool and try to lead in whatever way possible.

His counterpart, Carson Puriefoy, not so much. He ended the game with only 10 points. As someone who was once considered a dangerous 3-point shooter, going 2-for-7 isn't exactly ideal.

It was different seeing Warney compete against the big names of Kentucky like Tyler Ulis, Alex Poylthress, and Jamal Murray. For once, he wasn't the biggest name on the court. The entire starting five from the Wildcats ended in double digits, with Murray one point shy of twenty.

Heading into the locker room at the half, the score was 33-19 in favor of the Wildcats. While not an ideal half time score, it was something to work with. Stony Brook was not down by so much that a come back was impossible. Hell, they overcame a 15-point deficit in their win against Vermont to get them to the Big Dance.

But as major powerhouses do, Kentucky came out in the second half fired up. Once they got going, there was little to no hope left for the Seawolves pulling out an upset. They went from 33 points to 47 points within four minutes of play, and Stony Brook didn't have an answer.

Warney started to feel more comfortable on the court as the game went on, but by that point it was clear who the victor was and that this was going to be his last game in a Seawolves jersey. He ended the game with 23 points and 15 rebounds, making it his 60th career double-double. As the heart and soul of the Stony Brook team, he showed how talented he really is. It's going to be sad to see him go, but it's very likely this isn't the last the world has seen from Jameel Warney.

Kentucky rolled through the game and will play Indiana on Sunday.