Gonzaga gives up big lead in ugly 90-89 overtime loss to Kentucky

All was not well in Climate Pledge Arena as an all too familiar game script kept Gonzaga from yet another victory in Seattle.

Last night’s game was pure insanity—and not in a good, fun way. I mean that in the idiomatic sense of insanity: doing the same thing repeatedly while expecting a different outcome. #7 Gonzaga’s 90-89 overtime loss to Mark Pope’s #4 Kentucky Wildcats was exactly that—pure insanity.

That being said, it was also an early season loss to an exceptionally talented top-5 team coached by a guy who’s hard Mark Few’s number for 5 years now. The Zags let this one get away from them. But there are certainly worse teams to lose to in early December.

The game started strong. The Zags came out firing, hitting deep shots and stifling Kentucky’s high-powered offense for the first 20 minutes. By halftime, Gonzaga was up 50-34, and everything seemed set for a comfortable Quad 1 win over a quality opponent.

Then, in the second half, the wheels completely fell off.

Kentucky stormed out with a 16-2 run before Gonzaga could even remember how to play defense. By the time they did, they had forgotten how to play offense. The Zags went cold, missing everything from layups to midrange floaters to free throws. They couldn’t keep up with Kentucky’s newfound rebounding energy and second chance points.

For 20 minutes, it was a parade of missed opportunities. Layups, outside shots, mid-range floaters, dunks—you name it, the Zags missed it. They missed second chance shots, missed free throws, and missed crucial 50/50 balls. They sorely missed Ryan Nembhard as Kentucky successfully neutralized him defensively, and they missed Graham Ike after foul trouble kept him on the bench.

As the Zags’ lead slowly evaporated, desperation crept in. Kentucky forced overtime, and after a brief breather, Gonzaga went right back to shooting itself in the foot. The Wildcats went up six in under a minute. Despite some big shots from Stromer, Hickman, and Nembhard, it was too little, too late. On the final possession, down one point with under five seconds to play, the Zags couldn’t even get a shot off. Kentucky escaped with a win after being down by as much as 18 in the first half.

It happens. Early season losses to good teams aren’t the end of the world. They can be motivating, transformative, and energizing. But for longtime Gonzaga fans, this loss is particularly frustrating because it feels so familiar.

There were bright spots, of course. Graham Ike had his best performance of the season. Ryan Nembhard continued to play like the best point guard in the country. Dusty Stromer showed off his on-ball defense, and Nolan Hickman hit some clutch shots. Despite poor defensive communication, a ruthless rim, inconsistent officiating, and a rapidly shrinking list of reasons to stay optimistic, the Zags never quit. They stuck to their schemes, kept pushing the ball inside, and kept pushing the ball toward the rim. Unfortunately, “toward” the basket was the operative word—not “in.” And, unfortunately, it’s this very brand of persistence that may have kept them from a win against Kentucky.

The biggest knock on Mark Few over the past decade has been his inflexibility—he sticks to his proven formula, sometimes to a fault. His track record speaks for itself; the man knows what he’s doing. But last night revealed once again that this rigid approach could also be the Zags’ Achilles’ heel. Mark Pope, on the other hand, was willing to adjust, take what the defense gave him, and get creative. It would be infuriating if it weren’t kind of breathtaking to watch him adjust on the fly to his team’s foul trouble, injuries, and the wild flux of how the refs were calling things. He’s a great coach and the Wildcats are lucky to have him.

Credit where it’s due: Kentucky is exceptionally talented, and Pope proved why he’s one of college basketball’s top strategists. His defensive adjustments neutralized Nembhard and Ike at critical moments, and his offense kept getting good looks, even after Kentucky’s initial struggles. He exploited Gonzaga’s defensive weaknesses and took advantage of Few’s inability (or unwillingness) to adjust. The result? A lot of uncontested shots around the rim and a lot of contested threes when the clean looks weren’t available. Sometimes those shots just fall.

In the box score, there’s some good, some bad, and a lot of ugly:

The Good:

• Graham Ike: 28 points, 11 rebounds
• Ryan Nembhard: 13 points, 10 assists, 1 turnover
• Ben Gregg: 14 points, 7 rebounds off the bench

The Bad:

• Team: 6-27 from three
• Michael Ajayi: 4 points, 3 rebounds in 21 minutes
• Braden Huff: 2 points on 1-4 shooting in 9 minutes

The Ugly:

• Team defense
• Mark Few’s inability to adjust
• Michael Ajayi’s outside jumper

The hardest pill to swallow is that we now know for certain this team is capable of playing some really bad basketball—despite playing really good basketball just minutes prior. We also know Mark Few can, in fact, be out-coached. Most frustratingly, we know the type of bad basketball this team plays is all too familiar to Zag fans.

It goes like this: when the guards can’t hit from the perimeter, the focus shifts inside to burn time setting up our big men inside. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t—especially when our bigs are matched up against bigger, more athletic rim protectors. On defense, these outmatched bigs get into foul trouble, sacrificing their ability to protect the rim out of fear of more fouls. This wouldn’t be catastrophic in and of itself if the backcourt defense was able to adjust and keep the ball out of the paint while contesting perimeter shots—but it never does, ever.

That’s when things really fall apart. Offensively, the bag of tricks is empty. The guards keep missing outside shots. The bigs keep fouling. The opponent keeps sinking free throws. Fans pull their hair out—or throw things at the wall—in frustration. This is how you beat the Zags. This is how you’ve always beaten the Zags.

Still, last night’s loss isn’t cause for panic. Yes, it stings, but it’s important to remember that Kentucky is a top-five team and a legitimate Final Four contender, especially with Lamont Butler back in the mix. Early season losses hurt rankings, but they don’t define seasons, and with all the turmoil among top-ranked teams over the past two weeks, a close loss to a team like Kentucky could actually end up being a minor blip in terms of our tournament bona fides. This Gonzaga team is still one of the deepest, most talented rosters Few has ever assembled. It’s still a Top 5 team.

Early season kinks are still being ironed out, upgrades are still being installed, and there’s still a wealth of potential yet to even be unlocked (looking at you, Ajayi, where are ya, buddy?). If this team makes the same mid-season jump last year’s team was able to make, they’ll be nearly unstoppable by tournament time. There’s room for growth, and there’s ample room for optimism come March, and March is all that truly matters.

Finally, for a quick pick-me-up after last night’s loss, I recommend Gonzaga fans scroll through Twitter and enjoy some of the more “classy” hot takes from Kentucky’s loyal Wildcat Nation on last night’s loss. Kentucky may have won the game, but take solace, Zag fans: you’ll never have to pretend you liked John Calipari.