Gonzaga upsets No. 17 Kentucky in Rupp Arena
As much as the phrase "must-win" is a cliche in sports, it sure felt like the Gonzaga Bulldogs got one of those in their thrilling 89-85 upset over the No. 17 Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena on Saturday.
With the victory, Gonzaga (18-6, 8-2 WCC) picked up its first Quad 1 win (1-5) and bested its first AP Top 25 opponent of the season in a back-and-forth affair against a Kentucky (16-7, 6-4 SEC) team that has now lost three-straight games at home for the first time since 1966.
The Bulldogs managed to seize momentum early before the Wildcats cut their deficit to two points with 4:56 left in the first half. Mark Few's group finished the half strong with a 13-5 scoring run to take a 42-32 lead into the locker room.
Out of the break, Reed Sheppard took over the Wildcats offense. The 6-foot-3 freshman capped off a 12-0 scoring run with an and-one finish at the rim through Graham Ike, which gave his team a 57-51 lead with 12:30 left. Sheppard finished with 21 points after being held scoreless in the first half.
Ike helped weather the storm with a 3-point play of his own, followed by two free throws from Ryan Nembhard to keep Gonzaga within striking distance. Ike fouled out in the final minute on an attempt to break up an alley-oop pass, but not before he racked up a team-high 23 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the field.
Braden Huff stepped up with Ike out, scoring eight consecutive points to put the Bulldogs up 75-72. Sheppard responded with another and-one after he blocked a 3-point attempt from Hickman and scored himself on the other end, breathing life back into Rupp Arena. Watson silenced the crowd with a 3-point play the next possession.
Watson had 17 points, seven rebounds, five assists, two blocks and two steals. The 6-foot-8 forward made it an 84-80 game with a crafty drive and sweeping layup over his defender.
Ben Gregg, who added 14 points, two blocks and two steals, essentially ended Kentucky's hopes of a comeback once he intercepted an alley-oop pass from Sheppard with Gonzaga up 86-84 with five seconds left. Gregg made his second free throw, which prompted the Bulldogs to foul Antonio Reeves up three points with 4.1 seconds to play.
Reeves intentionally missed the second free throw in hopes of his team getting another chance off an offensive rebound, but Nolan Hickman secured the loose ball. A former Kentucky commit before flipping to Gonzaga, Hickman iced the game with two free throws.
Here are three takeaways from Gonzaga's biggest win of the season.
BULLDOGS TAME WILDCATS' BLISTERING OFFENSE
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Entering Saturday, Kentucky led the country in scoring (87.9 points) and 3-point field goal percentage (41.%) while ranking 11th in adjusted tempo per KenPom. Gonzaga likes to push the pace itself, though instead of trying to keep up in a track meet, it exploited some of Kentucky's defensive inefficiencies guarding pick-and-rolls in the halfcourt to prevent many opportunities to run in transition.
Hickman and Ike had a strong one-two game working early in the first half, as they accounted for a combined 21 of their team's first 29 points before the critical 13-5 scoring run to end the half. Before that, much of the offense ran through Hickman navigating pick-and-rolls and Ike feasting on touches in the low post to keep the pace.
Defensively, the Bulldogs made it tough for the Wildcats to get any clean looks inside. Kentucky missed six of its seven layup attempts in the first half and was 7-of-21 on 2-pointers overall, as Watson, Ike and Gregg's combined length was enough to control the paint and the glass (Gonzaga had a 26-17 advantage on the boards). Hickman and Ryan Nembhard kept Reeves and Sheppard from getting to their spots offensively, as they combined for just four points in the first 20 minutes.
Outside of the Wildcats' 12-0 scoring run late, the Bulldogs continually found success through their base halfcourt offense. After shooting 15-of-25 on 2-pointers in the first half, they went 13-of-25 and made eight of their last 11 looks inside to finish with 50 points in the paint on the night.
That consistency on offense was matched with multiple clutch plays down the stretch defensively. Kentucky was held without a field goal for the final 2:48 with its final six points coming at the free-throw line.
GREGG, HUFF STEP UP LATE
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There have been times when Braden Huff's inexperience has been exposed by high-profile competition. In Gonzaga's previous five Quad 1 games, Huff wasn't much of a factor — he averaged 2.2 points in just 9.8 minutes off the bench in those five losses. The redshirt freshman has thrived in other scenarios, like in a 26-point performance against Portland on Wednesday, though he hadn't shown out on the big stage quite yet.
With 12 points against the Wildcats, 10 of which came in the second half, Huff unofficially introduced himself to the greater college basketball world. The 6-foot-10 stretch forward kept Gonzaga's offense afloat after Ike picked up his fourth foul and had to sit for nearly five minutes of game time, in which Huff scored eight consecutive points in the post to keep pace with Sheppard and the Wildcats down the stretch.
Meanwhile, Ben Gregg made the difference by doing the little things on both ends of the floor. From chasing down his own missed 3-pointer to hustling down loose balls, Gregg was in the mix of every 50-50 ball and provided a level of toughness that was seemingly contagious.
ZAGS KEEP AT-LARGE HOPES ALIVE
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Of course, one win won't completely turn the tides for the Bulldogs' at-large NCAA Tournament hopes, but a Quad 1 win is a big step in the right direction.
ESPN's Joe Lunardi moved Gonzaga up to the "next four out" group in his latest Bracketology update, which had the program ranked 78th in its previous edition prior to the game on Saturday. Still, if the Bulldogs can build off the win and take care of business in West Coast Conference play, along with a few losses from other bubble teams, the outlook will continue to improve heading into championship week in March.
