SEATTLE — Kentucky basketball keeps playing with fire. But for the second time this season, it got away with it.
Despite trailing 50-34 at halftime Saturday against Gonzaga, UK put together a captivating comeback to force overtime with the teams knotted at 79 at the end of regulation. Then in overtime, UK won the extra period, 11-10, to pull off a 90-89 win at Climate Pledge Arena in the battle of top-10 teams.
“Late-night game?” Kentucky coach Mark Pope said, referring to the 10 p.m. ET tipoff. “People that went to sleep at halftime are gonna be so sad.”
The Wildcats outscored the Bulldogs 56-39 in the second half and overtime to punctuate the stunning victory.
The epic rally helped No. 6 Kentucky avoid its second setback in as many games. After starting 7-0 under Pope, it dropped its first contest of his tenure earlier this week at Clemson. But Saturday’s come-from-behind victory upped UK’s record to 8-1.
“Great team win,” said fifth-year senior guard Jaxson Robinson, who had 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting to go along with a team-high five assists. “I know the first half was a little rough, but this team is resilient. Coach (Pope) talks about it all the time, but going into halftime, we’re a great team that makes adjustments.”
The No. 8 Bulldogs, on the other hand, fell to 7-2. Coincidentally, both of their losses this season have been overtime affairs; they fell to West Virginia, 86-78, in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament.
Gonzaga lost despite stellar outings from a pair of its stars, Graham Ike and Ryan Nembhard. Both recorded double-doubles. The 6-foot-9, 250-pound Ike had game highs in points (29) and rebounds (11), while Nembhard had 13 points and led all players with 11 assists.
While UK tucked away another victory Saturday night, it was the continuation of a troubling pattern for Pope’s program: Away from the friendly confines of Rupp Arena, it takes time for the group to find its form.
Kentucky has played three games away from Lexington this season. It faced Duke last month in Atlanta. Clemson on the road on Tuesday. And Saturday (in what was a neutral-site game in name only, as Gonzaga fans far outnumbered UK supporters).
In all three of those contests, UK trailed by seven points (or more) after the opening 20 minutes.
Saturday, just as it did against Duke and Clemson, Kentucky made corrections in the second half. That led to a come-from-behind win over Duke. A narrow loss at Clemson. And another spirited rally after intermission downed Gonzaga.
Still, the sluggish first halves must be addressed.
Pope just isn’t willing to disclose those problems publicly. Not yet, anyway.
“These guys have just been like, ‘Man, we feel like BBN is a little bored, and so we just want to make it super, super exciting,'” Pope replied with a smile when asked if he’s detected a common theme behind the stagnant starts.
No matter how good a team is — or how explosive an offense, like the one UK possesses, which entered No. 1 in Division I in points per game (92.9) — it’s illogical to routinely dig considerable halftime holes and not expect losses to follow. Especially given the level of competition. Clemson, Duke and Gonzaga are likely NCAA Tournament teams. The SEC is as treacherous as it’s ever been (eight league members were among the top 25 in the latest USA TODAY coaches poll, with four more receiving votes).
Performing the way UK has its past two first halves isn’t a consistent winning formula. At least Pope and his staff have time to solve the issue before it lingers too long.
Just not right this second. Not with a lengthy eastward trek staring them in the face.
It should go by quicker since they can celebrate an unexpected triumph the entire way back to the Bluegrass State.
“If you’re not going out there and playing tough and playing hard, it’s not going to work,” said fifth-year senior forward Andrew Carr, whose 19 points led the Wildcats. “So, really proud of everybody on the team. … I feel like we’ve responded a lot this season. Continually, just — we have a point of emphasis that we talk about, and we go out there and make it happen.”
Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky basketball: Mark Pope’s team rallies vs Gonzaga for OT win
