LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Maybe, coming off a 40-point loss to Michigan with a whole week to stew over it, No. 11 Gonzaga wasn’t going to lose to anyone in Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena Friday night.
Or maybe, it was just a second straight Music City Meltdown for Kentucky. The No. 18 Wildcats lost their last game in this building by 29 to Alabama in the SEC Tournament last March. On Friday, it was worse.
Gonzaga came in like a house on fire. Kentucky came in like the floorboards.
Gonzaga didn’t just beat Kentucky. It stuck its hand into the Wildcats’ basketball soul, pulled out a fist full of blue blood and scrawled the words “not tonight” in front of 18,000 people.
Final score: Gonzaga 94, Kentucky 59.
They don’t have mercy rules in college basketball. They do in youth soccer, international war crimes tribunals and bare-knuckle fighting. But not in Nashville. Not Friday night.
It was 19-2 before many fans had even found their seats. By the time it was over, Nashville Police were investigating for crimes against Rim Protection.
The Zags shot 57 percent from the field and 50 percent from the zip code known as “three.” Kentucky responded with a shooting performance that may require federal intervention. They missed their first 10 shots, 26 of their first 31, and every opportunity to make this look like a competitive basketball team. For the game, they shot 27 percent, including 21 percent from three.
Graham Ike, held to a single lonely point against Michigan last week, poured in 28 with 10 rebounds for the Zags. Branden Huff tossed in 20 more, missing only twice — possibly on purpose, just to keep it sporting.
Meanwhile, Kentucky’s $22 million team played like it was paid in Monopoly money. The Wildcats are now 0-4 against ranked teams.
It was the program’s worst loss in recent memory. The biggest since a 34-point thumping from Duke to open the 2019 season. And if you’d like a list of positives, you’ll have to submit a request in triplicate.
“Mark Pope has several things that are going to keep him up nights,” Jimmy Dykes said on the ESPN broadcast toward the end of the game. Several? Pope may not sleep until Labor Day.
Kentucky couldn’t build an NCAA Tournament résumé with Canva, a ring light, and a team of interns. Not right now. Not with this font. Not with these margins.
Sure, injuries are a factor. But not a 35-point-deficit factor. Not a Gonzaga-conducting-open-heart-surgery-on-national-TV factor.
Kentucky fans expected bumps this season. Not potholes big enough to swallow a charter bus.
They were promised something different. A new voice. A new energy. A new culture. So far, they’ve gotten something between a rebuild and a refund request.
Otega Oweh had 16 points. Collin Chandler had 11. No one else was in double figures. Point guard Jalen Lowe returned from a shoulder injury. He went 0-for-5 from the field and finished with one point and one assist. Gonzaga out rebounded Kentucky 43-31.
Over their past two games, the Wildcats are just 10-37 from three-point range.
Kentucky still has talent. It still has time. But right now? It doesn’t have answers.
Just echoes. And the sound of Gonzaga’s layup lines still reverberating down Broadway.
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