Eight of Rivals.com’s top 25 freshmen. Four projected lottery picks. Two of college basketball’s most storied programs. Bill Raftery on the call.
Saturday afternoon’s showdown between UCLA and Kentucky featured all the ingredients of an early-season classic, and the game itself did not disappoint.
Overcoming an unsteady, turnover-plagued start and a mistake-prone, needlessly anxious finish, 11th-ranked UCLA stunned No. 1 Kentucky, 97-92, in Lexington. The Bruins led by as many as 14 points in the second half en route to becoming just the fifth team to defeat the Wildcats at Rupp Arena during John Calipari’s seven-year tenure.
What was even more impressive than the outcome was the way UCLA did it. The fast-paced, freewheeling Bruins outgunned a Kentucky team that prides itself on excelling in transition, shooting 53 percent from the field and piling up the most points any visiting team has scored on the Wildcats during the Calipari era.
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UCLA’s Lonzo Ball, left, shoots while defended by Kentucky’s Wenyen Gabriel. (AP Photo)
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Highly touted freshman point guard Lonzo Ball was too casual with the ball in the opening minutes of the game, but he locked in after halftime to finish with 14 points, seven assists and six rebounds. His competitiveness, aggressiveness and unselfishness once again set the tone for a UCLA team that has surrounded Ball with an array of skilled big men and guards who can shoot or create off the dribble.
UCLA guards Bryce Alford, Isaac Hamilton and Aaron Holiday combined for 47 points and sank seven of the Bruins’ 10 3-pointers. T.J. Leaf and Thomas Welsh repeatedly hurt Kentucky with mid-range jump shots and baby hooks at one end and held their own against the powerful, athletic Wildcats at the other.
It was only eight months ago that UCLA fans were flying “Fire Steve Alford” banners over Pauley Pavilion after his third season in Westwood ended with a disastrous 15-17 record. Now the Bruins have zoomed to an 8-0 start highlighted by Saturday’s victory over a Kentucky team that had beaten its first seven opponents this season by an average of more than 30 points.
John Calipari begged for an opponent who could challenge the Wildcats, and he certainly got that from UCLA. Every time DeAaron Fox or Malik Monk sparked a second-half Kentucky surge to get Rupp Arena roaring, one of the Bruins would answer with a big basket to halt the momentum and quiet the crowd.
When Kentucky closed to within 78-71 on a Malik Monk dunk, Ball responded with a steal and transition dunk. When Kentucky pulled within 80-74 a moment later, Ball struck again with a 3-pointer from the left wing that inspired him to put his index finger to his mouth and shush the crowd. And when Kentucky made one final surge with under four minutes to play, Welsh sank a pair of mid-range jumpers to extend the lead back to nine.
While UCLA was expected to make a big leap this season thanks to the return of four starters and the arrival of a heralded recruiting class, the Bruins were not supposed to be this good this fast. This is a team projected to finish third in the Pac-12 before the season began and that entered play Saturday as a 10-point underdog in Lexington.
When UCLA took down top-ranked Kentucky at Pauley Pavilion last December, that win felt like a bit of a fluke.
This year feels different. This year it feels like the Bruins are legitimately back among the nation’s elite.
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