Kentucky’s roster is among the most expensive in college basketball. For nearly the entire game Friday, though, it didn’t look like the Wildcats were getting much return on that investment.
Alex Wilkins rescued Kentucky with a three-pointer in the final seconds, lifting the Wildcats to a 78–77 win over winless Northern Arizona at Rupp Arena. The Lumberjacks were 30.5-point underdogs and led 77–73 with 22 seconds to play.
Mason Williams scored to bring Kentucky within two, and the Wildcats then fouled Northern Arizona. Max Majerle, whose father is former Phoenix Suns All-Star Dan Majerle, missed the first free throw of a one-and-one. In the scramble for the rebound, a Kentucky player knocked the ball out of bounds.
Kentucky had to foul again. This time, Northern Arizona got the ball to Chris Komin, who made 82% of his free throws last season. He also missed the first shot. The Wildcats collected the rebound with seven seconds left, and Williams passed ahead to Wilkins, who hit the winning three.
Kentucky is reportedly in the college basketball roster-spending tier above $20 million. Northern Arizona, meanwhile, had lost its first three games by an average of 24 points.
As the Lumberjacks stood at the line with a chance to extend their lead, I wondered how far back I’d have to look to find Kentucky losing as a 30-point favorite. I couldn’t find an example. The Wildcats were 25-point favorites when Evansville won at Rupp Arena in 2019, and 26-point favorites when Gardner-Webb pulled off a win there in 2007.
So how did Kentucky come so close to losing? The defensive concerns were already there before the Kansas game. Kentucky had allowed 80 points to James Madison, raising questions about whether it could get enough stops against the Jayhawks. Kansas scored 89 and won by 20.
Northern Arizona arrived at Rupp after averaging 62 points in losses to New Mexico and No. 12 Arizona. The Lumberjacks then made 13 of 26 three-point attempts and finished with 77 points.
Kentucky shot 56.4% from the field and committed only four turnovers Friday. Before the game, that combination would have made me think the Wildcats might have had time to give their walk-ons a run.
Grambling State visits Rupp on Monday, with Indiana up next on Friday. If the Tigers are still close with 22 seconds to go, well, I know where to look for those old Evansville and Gardner-Webb box scores.
