Overview
- Gonzaga crushed Kentucky 94-59 at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, and a pro-Wildcats crowd booed loudly at halftime.
- Kentucky shot 26.7% from the field and 20.6% from three and was out-rebounded 40-27, while Gonzaga hit 57.1% overall and 50% from deep as Graham Ike and Braden Huff combined for 48 points.
- Head coach Mark Pope accepted responsibility, calling the boos “incredibly well-deserved” and saying the team’s response “has not been adequate” and must be fixed internally.
- The loss dropped Kentucky to 5-4 with all defeats coming against ranked opponents and contributed to their removal from CBS Sports’ Top 25 And 1, leaving the team without a quality win.
- Reactions intensified as DeMarcus Cousins criticized the team’s heart, Jalen Rose warned about “too much talent,” and Bruce Pearl shifted scrutiny toward assistants, with ranked games vs. Indiana on Dec. 13 and St. John’s on Dec. 20 up next.