KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The final Sweet 16 game of 2019 certainly lived up to the hype as No. 2 seed Kentucky, enjoying the return of PJ Washington, held on to beat No. 3 seed Houston in a 62-58 thriller. 

Having Washington back was a huge addition for the Wildcats, and that's not just because he's the team's leading scorer and best player. Washington, who made his first appearance in the tournament after missing the first weekend with a foot injury, made the defensive play of the game. With just over 30 seconds left in the action, Houston, already up a point, had a chance to add to its lead when Washington made a game-changing block. That led to Tyler Herro hitting the go-ahead 3-pointer in transition to give Kentucky a 60-58 lead. 

It made sense that Washington and Herro were in on the single biggest play of the Wildcats' tourney run so far. Washington showed no signs of rust in his first appearance back from injury with 16 and the aforementioned block while coming off the bench. Herro had a team-best 19 points, and his only made shot from beyond the arc was the one that put his team in front. 

The Wildcats now advance to take on No. 5 seed Auburn, who upset top-seeded North Carolina earlier on Friday evening. The Midwest Regional final features two highly athletic and exciting teams who know each other well. It should be a lot of fun. 

CBS Sports was with you throughout the game on Friday night from Kansas City with our live blog below. If you are having trouble viewing the blog, please click here.

Kentucky vs. Houston commentary

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