In-game analysis of Gonzaga vs. Kentucky college basketball showdown

Bulldogs and Wildcats look to get right as they go head-to-head in a top 25 matchup

Gonzaga guard Adam Miller (23) and Kentucky center Malachi Moreno (24) go for a rebound during their game at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. | Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Gonzaga had nine days to stew on the worst loss the program had suffered in Mark Few’s 26 seasons as the head coach before facing a talented Kentucky squad out in Nashville, Tennessee.

It’s unclear what exactly was said by the players and coaches following that 40-point loss to Michigan in the Players Era Festival championship game, though one can easily deduce that a result like that would warrant some unhappy and perhaps even angry campers in the Bulldogs’ corner.

Whatever the Zags were feeling, the Wildcats felt every ounce of it for 2 full hours on Friday.

Big Blue Nation showed out in full force for the top 25 showdown at Bridgestone Arena, though the mood inside the building quickly matched the color of Kentucky fans’ shirts as they watched their team get pummeled from start to finish by an extra-motivated Gonzaga crew looking to completely flush away its last setback.

Led by a dominant outing from their starting frontcourt, the Zags (8-1) showed once again why many dubbed them a national championship contender in November as they trounced the Wildcats’ purported $22 million roster, 94-59, on Friday.

Graham Ike continued his trend of tormenting Kentucky with big scoring nights, matching his highest output in a Gonzaga uniform with 28 points and 10 rebounds after finishing the Michigan game with the lowest point total (1) since he was a freshman at Wyoming.

The 6-foot-9 forward also had a 28-point double-double in last season’s matchup at Climate Pledge Arena, though unlike that 90-89 overtime win for Kentucky, the Zags rode Ike’s performance to a wire-to-wire win for their third win of the season over an SEC team.

According to ESPN, Gonzaga became the first team in the Associated Press Top 25 poll era to lose by 30 and then win by 30 in back-to-back ranked matchups. It was also Few's 750th win as a head coach.

Here are the key storylines and stats we were following throughout Friday night's battle between Gonzaga and Kentucky.

Getting back to defense

Gonzaga, which couldn't find an answer against Michigan's blistering pace and athleticism the last time out, was prepared for anything Kentucky ran out of the gate in Friday's matchup.

Neither side came out of the gate firing on all cylinders, but the Wildcats especially looked out of sorts offensively, with a pair of self-inflicted miscues and a 0-for-5 start from the field, underscoring the type of start for Pope's team. It wasn't until the 15:38 mark in the first half that Kentucky finally got on the board.

The Zags weren't their sharp selves initially, evidenced by a couple of misses around the rim by Ike and Huff, but they managed to create some open looks nonetheless. A fair amount of their looks were created by either turnovers or screen-and-rolls, leading to a 12-for-29 start from the Bulldogs.

Kentucky, meanwhile, couldn't get anything going offensively. The Wildcats didn't break the seal off the hoop until Denzel Aberdeen got a 3-pointer to go at the 11:04 mark in the first half, snapping a streak of 10 consecutive misses out of the gate. According to ESPN, it was the first time in eight seasons that Kentucky started a game 0-for-10.

The Wildcats started to get the Zags moving defensively with some penetration followed by kick-outs to shooters, but not even the open looks were going down consistently for Pope's squad. Kentucky was 4-for-24 from the field by the time the 4-minute media timeout hit.

Once again, Gonzaga managed to force more turnovers than its opponent had made field goals at halftime. Kentucky was 5-for-31 in the first half while committing eight turnovers.

Things didn't get any easier in the second half for the Wildcats, who wound up finishing 16-of-60 (26.7%) from the field — the program's worst field goal percentage under Pope — and committed 11 turnovers in a forgettable night from Nashville.

Gonzaga attacking the paint

The Zags made it a point of emphasis to attack the Wildcats in the paint from the get-go, with six of their first 10 field goal attempts coming from their standout frontcourt.

Ike, who struggled in the loss to Michigan, was given plenty of opportunities to bounce back against the Wildcats with every mismatch he created in the painted area. Ike wasn't as efficient as he'd probably like, but he remained Gonzaga's most aggressive player on offense.

After Ike scored on a sweet reverse while curling to the hoop on an off-ball screen near the arc, Gonzaga had a 22-4 advantage in paint points. Ike and Huff (26 points) outscored the Wildcats (20) by themselves in the first half.

It didn't take Kentucky that long for two of its frontcourt players, Brandon Garrison and Kam Williams, to pick up three and two fouls, respectively, in the first 20 minutes of play.

Gonzaga didn't let up after halftime, finishing with 46 points in the paint to Kentucky's 18. Ike and Huff were the main culprits, combining for 48 points and 20 made field goals on the night.

Gonzaga looks to keep its foot on the gas

Setting the tone defensively helped the Zags jump out to a double-digit lead by the 14:19 mark in the first half, much to the disdain of the pro-Kentucky crowd making up a majority of the Bridgestone Arena attendance.

The mood from Big Blue Nation continued to sour as the hole the Wildcats found themselves in got deeper and deeper. Gonzaga led by as many as 25 behind a dominant first half from Ike and Huff.

While Kentucky fans hailed boos, Gonzaga fans kept last season's result in the back of their mind while cheering on their team's hot start. The Wildcats managed to overcome an 18-point deficit at Climate Pledge last December, despite a big night from Ike (28 points, 11 rebounds).

Gonzaga's 6-foot-9 forward helped keep the foot on the gas out of the halftime break, scoring seven of his team's first 11 points to reach a new season-high through the first 5 minutes of the second half. Kentucky essentially gave up trying to double-team the preseason All-West Coast Conference forward, and Ike made the Wildcats pay.

Something about seeing Kentucky across from him must get Ike extra fired up. In three games against the Wildcats, he's averaging 26.3 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists on 59.2% shooting from the field, with two big games resulting in Gonzaga wins.

Switch up in starting lineup

The Zags tinkered with their starting lineup once again. Steele Venters made his first start in a Gonzaga uniform while Emmanuel Innocenti was back in the first five for the first time since Nov. 14.

The attention Gonzaga's bigs garnered down low created space for Venters and the Bulldogs' perimeter players to launch some clean looks from behind the arc. Venters and Mario Saint-Supéry took advantage early on, but overall Gonzaga missed six of its first eight looks and was 3-for-11 from downtown in the first half.

Innocenti helped set the table for his teammates, dishing out four assists and grabbing four rebounds in 11 minutes of action in the first half.

Meanwhile, Adam Miller came off the bench and added 11 points on 3-of-5 shooting from downtown. Tyon Grant-Foster was quiet on the offensive end but still made his presence felt defensively, underscored by an emphatic block on Denzel Aberdeen in the first half.