The basketball gods are not happy with the college sport’s traditional powers.
I don’t know what Gonzaga, Michigan State, Louisville, Duke and Kentucky have done to annoy them, but man are they frustrated. The basketball gods are vengeful gods — raining down losses by unranked teams onto these unsuspecting power programs.
Gonzaga got beat by Michigan. Michigan State – once ranked No. 1 – has lost three times. Louisville coughed one up to Texas Tech. Duke, yes, even Duke, suffered a defeat at the hands of Stephen F. Austin.
Add another upset to the list. No. 6 Kentucky lost to unranked Utah in Las Vegas on Wednesday night.
Sophomore guard Timmy Allen and the Runnin’ Utes (9-2) held off the Wildcats (8-2) to get their first win against a ranked this season, and their first against a top-10 opponent since 2016. Allen was prolific, putting up a game-high 25 points and grabbing nine rebounds while shooting 58% from the field.
Kentucky trailed by as much as 17 with just 12 minutes left in the game, but managed to claw their way back. The young Utes learned a lesson that many before them have learned; never, ever count the Wildcats out. With around 10 minutes left in the game, the Utes saw their lead begin to be chipped away at by Kentucky.
The Wildcats went on a 27-10 tear to level the score at 66 with just 1:43 left on the clock. The run was made possible by poorly-timed fouls and sloppy turnovers from the Utes, who looked like they were about to let the game slip away. T-Mobile Arena was suddenly filled with screaming Kentucky fans (why were there so many Kentucky fans in Vegas anyways?).
Timmy Allen had other ideas, however. Allen drove down the left side of the court and into the paint, where he stepped back and hit a floater over Nick Richards to put the Utes up two with 1:16 remaining.
Kentucky responded by missing a shot with Utah reciprocating, both teams taking a chunk of time to miss their attempts. Kentucky stayed in the game via foul shots, but as the ancient saying goes, live by the foul, die by the foul. After Utah grabbed a key rebound with under 20 seconds left, Kentucky forward Kahlil Whitney sent Rylan Jones to the line. Jones missed the first, but refocused and drained the second.
Utah now had a three-point lead, 15 seconds left, and the basketball gods on their side. Kentucky drove down the court, where Tyrese Maxey shot a three and missed. The Wildcats gathered the offensive board, kicked it to the corner, and missed a last second attempt to tie the game and force overtime.
LOCKER ROOM MOOD‼️🔥💦#GoUtes🏀🔴 pic.twitter.com/GOjWqPfrs4
— Utah Basketball🏀 (@UtahMBB) December 19, 2019
How did they pull off the upset?
I see you @UtahMBB! That’s another impressive win for the @Pac12!
Utes take out 6th ranked Kentucky! pic.twitter.com/EgeRaeYqL5— Michael Yam (@Mike_Yam) December 19, 2019
Good question. Utah was able to hold on to the game because of three equally important keys to the game.
Kentucky’s woes from three
Kentucky shot a horrific 2-for-17 from deep, including two attempts that would have evened up the score in the final seconds of regulation. The Wildcats average three-point percentage on the season is just as bad as it was against the Utes; through 10 games, they’ve shot 27% from deep.
Utah’s hot second half
Though I couldn’t tell from watching the game, Utah was on fire in the second half. The Utes shot a scorching 63% from the field during the half, partially due to taking shots late in the clock nearly every possession, meaning that they had less shots to take, which didn’t hurt their percentage.
Bill Walton
On another note, we cannot underestimate the effect that Bill Walton’s inspirational and motivational commentary had on the Utes’ victory. There were moments that brought tears to my eyes and warmed my heart. He refused to don the traditional garb of a suit and tie, choosing instead the more approachable and easygoing polo. The rest of the article is now appropriately dedicated to his best quotes from the game.
“A candle loses nothing from lighting another candle.”
“That was the sixth worst possession in Utah history!”
“Psst… PSSST! That is a Wildcat getting serious.”
“I’ve loved Larry Krystowiak ever since the first time he elbowed me in the mouth and broke all my teeth.”
“That was the third worst possession in Utah history!”
“The offense was fantastic, only marred by the over-refereeing of the game!”
“I saw shades of Kawhi Leonard, Kevin McHale”, etc.
“But can they sustain?” (Repeated several times)
“Guards, the lowest level of the evolutionary ladder. Supplanted only at the bottom by second-string guards.”
