Denzel Aberdeen, the combo guard who is really more of a scorer than a creator but has had to man the point for the Wildcats, was the object of that look. And receiver of the pass, after Lowe forced Gonzaga to help him and zipped it to him. And scorer of Kentucky’s first basket, an airy three-pointer from the right corner.
The Kentucky fans, who filled about 95 percent of the available seats in the 18,507-seat Bridgestone Arena, roared, the kind of roar you might expect to hear on a game-tying shot in a huge game. But this blast of noise dripped with frustration and was steeped in sarcasm — from that basket, the game had featured 8 minutes and 56 seconds of action, 10 Kentucky shots, 10 Kentucky misses, five Kentucky turnovers and a 17-point Gonzaga advantage that would gradually swell to a final score of No. 11 Bulldogs 94, No. 18 Wildcats 59.
We’re not just talking about a horrific loss, we’re talking about the first 30-point loss for Great Britain since 2018, the eighth since 1950 and the second-largest margin ever as a ranked team. We’re not just talking about misses, we’re talking about airballs and possible rim dents. We’re not just talking about turnovers, we’re talking about passes that bounce off teammates’ knees and sail out of bounds untouched, although one went off a referee to save the face of an unsuspecting spectator.
We’re not just talking about a rocky start to Mark Pope’s second season anymore. We are talking about crisis.
This is the craziest cheering I’ve ever seen from a Head Coach, maybe ever
Wild scene as Kentucky gets blasted by a Gonzaga team that just got blasted 🤯
pic.twitter.com/lgnKLQlNZW
— Hoop Herald (@TheHoopHerald) December 6, 2025
The most expensive team in men’s basketball is 5-4, with no direction or clear plan on offense and far too little connection and consistency on defense. It’s a bad team. It might not be an NCAA Tournament team. It’s a team that has officially enraged the most rabid fans in sports – from halftime, The Athletics According to the official stat book, the Wildcats trailed by five baskets and were loudly booed by those fans eight times.
“Incredibly well deserved,” Pope said afterward, at a news conference that essentially consisted of a coach verbally slapping himself in the face. “Especially because of me.”
Much has been made and will continue to be made about the reported $22 million price tag for this roster, which would be somewhat irresponsible even if the Cats won every game. But if this were a $2 million team, the performance thus far would be embarrassing. Heavy competition considered. Injuries to Lowe (shoulder) and Mouhamed Dioubate (ankle) and Jayden Quaintance (ACL recovery) are also taken into account.
For as much goodwill as Pope earned in his debut season with a quickly built roster that meshed well, played a lot of offense, beat Duke, Gonzaga and Louisville and made it to the Sweet 16, he deserves some serious extra money this fall. This just seems like a collection of talented players who don’t fit together, don’t know how to play together, and maybe in some cases don’t enjoy playing together.
For most of the night the Cats looked sluggish, sluggish, indecisive and gloomy as these traits consistently increased their deficit. But there were boiling points. Pope finally had to call a timeout with 5:44 left in the first half after communication and effort left the Cats’ ball-screen defense, allowing one of Gonzaga’s 11 layups on the night. Before Pope gave instructions, assistant coach Jason Hart faced several players with immediate challenges.
They did not respond as hoped. Gonzaga finished with an absurd 1,424 points per possession on 57.1 percent shooting, 10 days after a 101-61 loss to Michigan. Graham Ike, who had one point against the Wolverines, put 28 on the Cats.
“I think everyone took their frustrations out,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said of his players.
Kentucky’s players will get more such opportunities after losses to the Zags, North Carolina, Michigan State and Louisville. Indiana, St. John’s and Alabama are waiting for the next month. There is no reprieve in sight.
Pope said he has “great young men” who have “got into a little bit of a bad spot” and have to fight their way out. DeMarcus “Boogie” Cousins, like Pope, a former Kentucky big man, was more pointed in a post on
When Pope was told about that sentiment, he responded: “I have no problem with what he said in terms of, if you look at this game, starting with the head coach, this product is completely unacceptable. As a former player, I am also angry with the coach.”
Uppercut to own chin. Right cross to the right cheek.
Pope even specified, when asked about a defensive effort that was overshadowed by an ugly offense — 7-for-34 (20.6 percent) on 3-pointers, 9-for-26 (34.6 percent) on 2-pointers, .868 points per possession — that the Cats “probably didn’t get enough clarity from me” on the defensive game plan.
Pope looked as if he needed someone at that moment to remind him that all is not lost. Lowe should matter as he gets healthier. The transfer from Pittsburgh played just 14 minutes, missed all five shots and recorded one assist. But his skills are a necessary addition and should help things come together better.
Good enough to make the Cats stop hitting triples even though they’re at 31.9 percent (230th nationally) and have combined to shoot 27-for-111 (24.3 percent) in the four big games? We’ll see. Getting to know each other should help too. A lot of. He’s a lottery pick protecting the edges, and that, along with this team’s defensive prowess — which was largely on display in Tuesday’s hard-fought 67-64 loss to the Tar Heels — is the only way to become relevant this season.
The idea that this loaded Kentucky team, which should have been on the short list of national title contenders, would have to sweat out its inclusion in the tournament to determine a champion is mind-blowing. So did the sight of thousands of Kentucky fans cheering their team off the floor. So did the sound of Pope verbally wasting the job he did coaching it.
Stunning yet accurate.
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