UCLA upsets No. 1 Kentucky: Score, highlights, and recap

UCLA and Kentucky went head-to-head, with the result being one that shook the early college basketball season.

While college football’s conference title weekend has been the focus, UCLA and Kentucky had the marquee matchup of the college basketball weekend. This saw the No. 13 and No. 1 teams, respectively go head-to-head at Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY.

This game remained close throughout. This saw a halftime score of 49-45, UCLA, with Kentucky being up by as many as seven points midway through. A handful of contributions were provided by Wildcat point guard De’Aaron Fox, who ended up finishing the game with 20 points and nine assists to continue his excellent freshman season.

Besides Fox, a handful of Kentucky players had sharp games here. This includes Malik Monk;s 24 points on 10 of 19 shooting, which was a game high. Bam Adebayo also had 18 points and 13 rebounds. So, if John Calipari’s team got so much production from their stars, how come they lost?

A problem that has always plagued Calipari’s teams is their free throw shooting. Even going back to his days at Memphis, every year, it seems the squad’s problem is getting to the charity stripe and earning an easy point or two. This would be the case on Saturday afternoon, as they were 18 for 27 from the line (66.7-percent). If maybe three more of these were hit, which is the total they missed in the final three minutes, we may have made a different ballgame.

However, much credit needs to go to UCLA, who looked impressive from the start. They had no issue hanging around with Kentucky, which would normally be difficult. Shooting an impressive 53-percent from the field will help that, too.

The Bruins received double-digit scoring production from five different players, which is always a great look. They spread the wealth and made multiple players seem dangerous from the floor. This includes Isaac Hamilton’s 19 points on seven of 13 shooting. He rode plenty of momentum from his 27-point performance against UC Riverside and delivered when needed. Forward TJ Leaf also had himself a game with 17 points, 13 rebounds, and five assists.

What also helped UCLA win was what cost Kentucky: free throw shooting. They went 17 for 21 from the line, which helped seal the deal for the win.

Three Stars

Lonzo Ball, UCLA – The star UCLA point guard had 14 points, seven assists, and six rebounds in the upset win.

TJ Leak, UCLA – As noted, Leaf delivered with 17 points, 13 rebounds, and five assists.

Malik Monk, Kentucky – Monk looked dominant from the field, shooting 10 for 19 with 24 points.

Highlights

"THROW IT DOWN @KentuckyMBB. https://t.co/GO7WDd6OEx— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) December 3, 2016"

"WHAT A SWAT for @KentuckyMBB. https://t.co/V7mAKukyCY— CBS Sports CBB (@CBSSportsCBB) December 3, 2016"

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What’s Next?

Kentucky will look to regroup from this upset defeat by hosting and potentially crushing Valparaiso on Wednesday, December 7. UCLA will get one week off before going back home to play Michigan on December 10.