An all-systems failure by Kentucky leads to an embarrassing loss against Gonzaga

The Kentucky Wildcats once again found themselves in a must-win situtation on Friday night in Nashville. After dropping their first three matchups against marquee nonconference teams, the Wildcats looked like more of the same, maybe even worse, against the #11 Gonzaga Bulldogs on Friday. Kentucky got dominated in every facet of the game, but was especially worse in paint defense and generally just creating offense. That led to a very horrible performance by them in Nashville.

Kentucky fans were rocking it in Bridgestone Arena, creating a loud environment that was nearly, nearly all blue and white. But, fans were let down once again in a ranked matchup inolving their Cats, with a lot of more of the same issues. Let's take a look at some takeaways from yet another embarrassing one.

Kentucky got manhandled by Gonzaga's bigs

Graham Ike, Malachi Moreno — Dec 5, 2025; Nashville, TN, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Graham Ike (15) shoots over Kentucky Wildcats center Malachi Moreno (24) during the first half at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

This was a problem early, and it last ALL game. Kentucky went into Friday's game knowing that with Gonzaga, it starts with their big men. The Wildcats were hit with physicality on defense, especially on the boards, but where they were really killed by their big men was the pick-and-roll defense. The Bulldogs are excellent at that, feeding the post and letting star big man Graham Ike, who finished with 28 points and 10 rebounds, as well as Braden Huff, who put up 20 points, do whatever they wanted and whenever down in the post. The Bulldogs finished with 46 points in the paint.

Kentucky's bigs had no answer for them, and they were outworked all game long, and that effort seemed to translate to the other end, which leads in to our other big takeaway.

Kentucky's offense had no flow again

Braeden Smith, Brandon Garrison — Dec 5, 2025; Nashville, TN, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Braeden Smith (3) and Kentucky Wildcats forward Brandon Garrison (10) fight for the loose ball during the first half at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

At this point, this takeaway is becoming stale. Time and time again, especially since the Michigan State game, Kentucky's offense has had no flow, and when it does, they're usually playing teams ranked in the bottom of the country. Kentucky hasn't played up to its competition yet, aside from a late comeback against Louisville that made the score respectable. That was followed up by games against Michigan State and North Carolina were they found themselves in a rock fight, where the defense collapsed. But, the score was never respectable against the Bulldogs, as Gonzaga took an early lead from the jump, and Kentucky's offense never found the flow it was looking for to come back.

It took Kentucky seven minutes into the game to score its first field goal, which should tell you everything you need to know about how it went on Friday night. Kentucky took a 23-point deficit into halftime that included the Wildcats going 3-20. Fans have to keep wondering if the lack of shooters is going to keep hurting this team, because it has lately. Kentucky shot just 27 percent overall and 7-34 from three.

Kentucky went into Nashville with a mission, and that was to get a marquee win after starting 0-3 on the season against the quality teams they've played. Well, they failed, and were embarrassed in fact, which has happened multiple times this season already. The Wildcats now sit at 5-4 on the season, as opportunities for quality nonconference wins continue to shrink after another ugly performance.