Vicky Graff Photo
Kentucky basketball was humbled earlier this week when they went to Clemson and were out-played as well as out-hustled in what was a narrow loss to the Tigers in the SEC/ACC Challenge.
In that defeat, the team also lost starting point guard Lamont Butler – who had been the fuel to Kentucky’s offense while also being a lockdown defender at the other end.
That loss was a glaring issue in the first half of No. 4 Kentucky’s game against No. 7 Gonzaga on Saturday night when the Bulldogs were able to get whatever they wanted on offense and suffocated Kentucky on defense.
Gonzaga took a 50-34 lead into halftime and had to be thinking that they were going to cruise away with the win.
However, Kentucky head coach Mark Pope and his Wildcats weren’t going down without a fight. That started with making necessary halftime adjustments on how to defend Gonzaga’s best players while opening up some offense for Kentucky.
The Wildcats stormed back in the second half to tie the game at regulation and force overtime where they hung on to defeat the Bulldogs 90-89.
Considering this week was one of Kentucky’s more brutal two-game stretches of the entire season, ending the week 1-1 is far from a bad result. Kentucky had to learn a lot from the environments they played in this week and from the level of opponents they went toe to toe with.
Now, the Wildcats have a few more weeks of non-conference games before SEC play begins. Here is who Kentucky is scheduled to face between Wednesday and New Years Eve.
Colgate – Wednesday, December 11th at 8 PM ET
Louisville – Saturday, December 14th at 5:15 ET
Ohio State – Saturday, December 21st at 5:30 ET
Brown – Tuesday, December 31st at 2 PM ET
Kentucky begins SEC play on Saturday, January 4th at home against the Florida Gators.
Kentucky-Gonzaga Basketball
Photos by Vicky Graff
7 Responses
It is so refreshing to have a coach who actually cares about winning again. To have a coach who builds confidence in his players instead of screaming and cursing at them during the game. To have a coach who takes notice of what is going on in a game and makes adjustments…and wins! Pope is hope for Kentucky basketball!
Absolutely!!!
Barry, Pope coaching philosophy is a big difference that we needed . The X and O’s wasnt there with our previous coach. Pope has made Kentucky basketball fun again .Go Cats
Absolutely!!!
Vintage UK BB is back & on national display!
Thank you, Coach Pope, for being an honest coach who does what he is paid to do – WIN.
The fraud has been flushed into a pen of hogs. Now UK alternates zones – whatever it takes – uses many players – whatever it takes.
UK beat the best (#1 ANE ranking by the Professor) team in the nation and did it at a semi-away game, without playmaker/leader Butler AND did with a comeback from 18 down in the 2nd H.
Not since Rick Pitino have we enjoyed REAL UK BB !!! Exceptions include 2012 & other seasons with so much talent that only the crooked coach could stop them from getting the Championship!
I finally feel good about the game when we call a timeout because I know changes will be made! Did you hear the Clip of cal during a timeout of the Arkansas game. He didn’t call a play all he said was I want you all to have fun so lets go have fun! On 3 Go team! Lmao great advice during a big game! No play calling no making switches just go have fun! It shows he has no idea what he’s doing anymore! Beating Gonzaga is better than beating Duke. I said it earlier in the year Gonzaga is the best team in college basketball. They returned 81% of there production! Been to the sweet 16 or better 9 years in a row. Few is great at keeping teams together and playing for each other and doing whatever it takes to win! To me he’s the best coach in college basketball and by Pope beating him in Seattle which wasn’t a home game for Gonzaga but it was close I don’t know how Cal pulled off this scam but it worked! If we would have played them at there home Idk what would have happened but I know beating Gonzaga is big! They destroyed Baylor by 38 points!!? This was a final 4 type of game so now I know we can beat anybody and I feel better about SEC play now too because Gonzaga is the definition of physical. There might not be a more physical team in college basketball there center and point guard are elite.
BBN can be proud of our basketball team again.