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What Went Wrong? Kentucky vs Gonzaga

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UK Athletics

The Kentucky Wildcats traveled to Spokane to take on the No. 2 Gonzaga Bulldogs, with the goal of avenging their loss to Michigan State and getting their first ranked victory of the season. Yet, that is not how the game played out.

The first half couldn’t have been any worse for the Wildcats. Shooting just 25 percent from the field (8-32) and zero percent from three (0-11), Kentucky had just one player that had scored more than one FG, Oscar Tshiebwe. Pair that with being outrebounded y double digits, and the Wildcats entered the half with a 16-point deficit.

As for the second half, Kentucky cut the Gonzaga lead down to 4 at one point. However, Gonzaga extended that lead to back 13 after Oscar Tshiebwe picked up his fourth foul with more than 13 minutes left in the half.

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The Wildcats continued to fight, but their poor first-half performance was just too much to overcome as they lost the game by a final score of 88-72, the same deficit they entered the first half with.

What went wrong? Let’s take a deeper look.

Dysfunctional Offense

Against inferior opponents, Kentucky’s offense has looked extremely dynamic, averaging 92.7
points on 52.9 percent shooting from the field and 47.8 percent from three.

However, against their two ranked opponents, the Kentucky offense has looked vastly different, averaging 74.5 points per contest on 39.6 percent shooting from the field and 26 percent from three.

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From the jump, Kentucky looked rattled and John Calipari said as such. In the postgame press
conference, Calipari said that the Wildcats “blew” the first offensive play of the game. “It was so embarrassing, we couldn’t even run a play.”

While the Wildcats missed several open shots, ineffective lineups and no clear offensive
structure hurt them, especially in the first half. This was seen with some erratic shot selection
early.

When Kentucky was able to make their run, it was with Wallace-Fredrick-Reeves-Toppin-
Tshiebwe, a lineup has five offensive threats with various strengths.

Foul Trouble

Fighting back from a 16-point deficit, Kentucky played the second half with a lot of energy on
defense, which led to some opportunities on offense. This continued as the lead dwindled to just four.

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At that point, the momentum was halted as Tshiebwe was called for his fourth foul with more
than 13 minutes to go in the second half; then Lance Ware with more than 10 minutes to go.

This allowed Drew Timme to score 8 of 10 points within a span of just over three minutes, due to the lack of aggression that Kentucky was forced to play with inside. This in turn helped Gonzaga extend the lead back out to double digits.

In comparison, Kentucky had 11 fouls called against them in the first 15 minutes of the second
half, whereas Gonzaga had just 4 fouls called against them.

Looking at the final box score, there were four Wildcats with four fouls, with three of them being starters (Tshiebwe, Wallace, Wheeler). This definitely impacted the game down the stretch.

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No Fight

There are several areas where Kentucky struggled Sunday night, but the most worrisome was their fight or lack thereof. With both teams coming off disappointing losses earlier in the week, a battle was expected, but it was one-sided for much of the first half.

This was most evident when you see that the Wildcats were outrebounded 24-14 in the first half. The second half was much better, as both teams played very evenly, but there shouldn’t be any worry about effort when playing against the No. 2 team in the country.

Senior Jacob Toppin was the first to admit it. “We had no fight in the first half and we put
ourselves in a hole that we couldn’t get out of,” Toppin said in the postgame press conference.

John Calipari echoed the same sentiment a little later. “The main thing is just to fight. We had no fight in the first half.”

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Going forward, Calipari said he will find players that are willing to fight.

“I’ll just play different guys, whoever wants to fight,” Calipari said. “I’m going to play different
guys. We got enough guys. I let those guys get in there and fight.”


Kentucky doesn’t play another KenPom Top-100 team until Michigan on December 4th. That
gives this team 14 days to find some things that work and are effective offensively, and two
games to experiment.

When they take on the Wolverines in London, I hope a rejuvenated and more efficient Kentucky team can be seen.

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Men's Basketball

Former Wildcats Headline Thunder-Pacers NBA Finals Matchup

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Cason Wallace and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Kevin Jairaj | IMAGN

The NBA Finals tip off with familiar faces on both sides in the first-ever series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers.

For the first time since 2012, when the Thunder were led by Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City is in the NBA Finals. The franchise has the opportunity to earn its first title in Oklahoma City since the team’s rebrand and relocation in 2008.

As for the Pacers, it’s the franchise’s first NBA Finals appearance since 2000. Indiana is seeking its first championship in team history. 

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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Oklahoma City’s superstar and crowning 2024-25 league MVP has continued his season-long dominance into the postseason. Averaging 31.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 1.6 steals per game.

Gilgeous-Alexander impressed as the Thunder beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 4-1, as he led all but one game of the series in scoring. 

After an underwhelming performance in Game 3, Gilgeous-Alexander responded with a near triple-double performance, posting 40 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds. Oklahoma City defeated the Timberwolves narrowly, 128-126.

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The Thunder blew out Minnesota in Games 4 and 5 thanks to back-to-back massive performances by Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored 34 and 40 points, respectively. Clinching his first bid to the NBA Finals. 

At midcourt after their Game 5 victory, OKC hoisted the Western Conference Trophy in front of their home crowd. Gilgeous-Alexander walked off with the Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson Trophy for his Western Conference Finals heroics.

Cason Wallace

Second-year pro Wallace is the Thunder’s ultimate plug-and-play contributor. Although Wallace isn’t a stat-stuffing machine like Gilgeous-Alexander, his defensive prowess stands out.

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In five games, the Kentucky product averaged 25.8 minutes per game off the bench. Wallace was often assigned to guard Wolves superstar Anthony Edwards. 

The 6-foot-4 guard averaged five points, 3.6 assists, 2.4 rebounds, and nearly a block and steal per game. 

Known for his hustle, Wallace excels at imposing himself on defense despite commonly matching up with larger opponents. His ability to disrupt the Timberwolves’ offense created offensive opportunities, which coincided with his pass-first mentality on offense.

Wallace could be found stealing from 7-foot-1 Frenchman Rudy Gobert in the post and nailing 3-pointers on the other end.

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In Game 5, Wallace scored only five points but had two rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Helping OKC seal a commanding 124-94 victory to punch their ticket to the NBA Finals.

Isaiah Jackson

The tallest former Wildcat out of the bunch, Jackson stands at 6-foot-9 as a physical off-the-bench presence for Indiana.

Unfortunately, the big man won’t be available to play in the NBA Finals. In the fifth game of the season, Jackson suffered a season-ending Achilles tear on Nov. 1 in a matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans. 

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This season Jackson made six appearances for the Pacers, including a start against the Boston Celtics early in the season. Posting seven points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game.

Despite the injury, the four-year Pacer would still receive a ring if Indiana wins for his short-lived contribution this season.

Game 1 of the NBA Finals tips-off on Thursday, June 5, at 8:30 p.m. ET.

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Men's Basketball

The 2025-26 Cats Consensus: It’s Time for Banner Number Nine

Every new and returning Wildcat shares the same dream: bringing a championship trophy to Lexington once more.

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Mark Pope in a crowd of fans at Big Blue Madness
Tyler Ruth | UK Athletics

“We are here to win banners.”

While just about everything Mark Pope said at his introductory press conference went viral in one way or another, that aforementioned declaration stood out amongst his crowd of quotes like no other to a fanbase more than a decade removed from a national championship.

To the big blue nation, Coach Pope’s words last spring were a much needed battle cry. Now, as he’s set to enter his second year at the helm, Pope has made sure the team he assembled for the 2025-26 season shares the same hunger.

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It begins on a basic level, with players across the board throwing the number “9” around on social media in posts, replies, and commitments. Much like the Kentucky faithful, the newest roster to roll through Lexington isn’t afraid to make reference to the top task at hand.

For (likely) starting point guard Jaland Lowe, it’s an opportunity he “can’t miss.” “See y’all soon #BBN,” he said in a post on X, announcing his return to the collegiate level. Lowe chose a junior season at Kentucky over a chance to be chosen in the NBA Draft. Otega Oweh, the now-projected SEC player of the year, would follow suit shortly thereafter.

The Ultimate Goal

Andrija Jelavic, a primary member of the incoming unit, as well as the team’s lone international player, dubbed the title chase as “the ultimate goal” in his interview with KY Insider. “We all [the team] agree that the ultimate goal is the same and that is to bring a championship to Kentucky, to the state and the fans,” he said.

To Jelavic, it goes further than hunger. It’s a responsibility.

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And that responsibility is what sets Kentucky apart from other programs. As awkward as the conversation around John Calipari can get, when push comes to shove, much of the dissatisfaction growing within the fanbase as his tenure came to a close was rooted in the coach’s apparent disinterest in winning another championship.

Year after year went by; top-ranked roster after top ranked roster. After a while, it seemed that Kentucky was more often mentioned in the first round of the NBA Draft than it was in the NCAA Tournament. The problem persisted, the tension festered and, ultimately, the two sides split… and it all goes back to that elusive ninth title.

Name on the Front of the Jersey

Mark Pope has said before that he wants to bring in guys who are playing for the name on the front of their jersey. It just so happens that there are enough of those like-minded athletes across the nation to build one of the consensus best teams in college basketball, all of whom are in full pursuit of a new blue banner in the rafters of Rupp.

With a mindset like that shared across the board and talent like the 2025-26 team has at hand, it’s only a matter of time before that dream becomes a reality once more. For the first time in more than a decade, the entire Big Blue Nation is on the same page – and that includes the guys who can actually make it happen.

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Men's Basketball

Koby Brea Talks With Andrija Jelavic About His Legendary Chapter Awaiting At Kentucky

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ABA League (Left) | Imagn (Right)


Andrija Jelavic, in a recent Q&A with Kentucky Insider, revealed that he exchanged messages with former Wildcat Koby Brea, who will be handing down his No. 4 jersey to Jelavic.

The big man was asked if he had spoken with any former Wildcats after comparing his play style to Karl-Anthony Towns, and what he knew about Kentucky growing up.

“I exchanged some messages with Koby Brea because I’m gonna be wearing his number four,” Jelavic said. “About Kentucky, I always knew that they are the biggest franchise in college basketball history, and just everything about them is legendary.”

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Jelavic added on what exactly Brea said in those messages.

“He just told me to go be great and that he can’t wait to see me play,” Jelavic said. “Also, that he likes my number decision.”

Alone, the fact that Brea reached out speaks volume to the culture that is established at Kentucky. The lethal sharpshooter from Mark Pope’s first team at Kentucky played only one season in the blue and white, yet, seems interested in the future of the program despite chasing his own big league dreams.

To end our exclusive interview, Jelavic talked about the goals he has now as a Wildcat and how he wants to be a legendary piece to this year’s roster.

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“Definitely to bring many wins and hopefully a championship to Kentucky, Jelavic said. “To be a player that Kentucky will always remember.”

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