Sad News:Kentucky Wildcats Fire Legendary Coach Calipari After Crushing Defeat Today…
Much of Kentucky’s recent struggles can be attributed to the defensive end of the field, where it ranks 102nd in efficiency according to KenPom – the program’s lowest ranking since the statistic was collected for the first time in 1997.
On offense, the Wildcats lead the nation in scoring (89.7 points) and 3-point shooting percentage (41.1%). On Wednesday, Gonzaga rolled to a 96-64 victory over Portland, making a season-high 15 3-pointers.
Braden Huff led the way with 25 points on 11-of-16 shooting from the floor. Anton Watson added 20 points.
Meanwhile, Kentucky (16-6, 6-4 SEC) has lost three of its last five games and fallen to fifth place in the SEC standings.
The loss also dropped the Wildcats to the six-seed line in Lunardi’s Bracketology. 7:55am): The Bulldogs weathered the storm to turn it into a back-and-forth battle. Watson connected on a 3-pointer off an assist from Nembhard, his sixth of the game.
Ike, who dunked twice earlier in the half, committed his fourth foul and went to the bench at 7:30.Kentucky 57, Gonzaga 54: Sheppard got hot during Kentucky’s 12-0 run, when the freshman knocked away a pass to Nembhard and hit a layup at the other end, followed by an and-one to Ike.
Gonzaga stops the scoring streak with an and-one from Ike. Kentucky 52, Gonzaga 51 (1:24 p.m.): Wildcats reeled off a 7-0 run capped by a Reeves 3-pointer in transition to regain the lead.Gonzaga 50, Kentucky 45Gonzaga 50, Kentucky 45 (3:31 p.m.): Huff broke the Bulldogs’ scoring drought with a right hook in the crease.
Reeves responded with a drive to end Huff’s game, though Watson rallied the score with an and-one to Thiero.Gonzaga 46, Kentucky 42 (5:09 p.m.): Kentucky stifled its interior defense with two rejections on Ike early, while the offense made four of its first six attempts to fuel a 10-4 scoring run. Edwards took advantage of Gonzaga’s confused defense with an inside jumper, followed by a Gonzaga timeout.
