There was no laughing or showboating for Kentucky this time.
Nearly a year removed from their 83-44 shellacking of UCLA, the No. 1 Wildcats were punched in the mouth by the team they once bullied.
They attempted highlight-reel alley oops, and threw the ball away. They attempted to scorch the Bruins again from beyond the arc, but came up ice cold. When those things didn’t work, Kentucky tried to play the role of intimidator again, pressing UCLA all over the court, trying to force turnovers.
But these weren’t the Bruins that Kentucky faced last year in Chicago.
These Bruins took it right at the Wildcats, from the first possession to the last. UCLA scored a two-handed slam dunk on its opening offensive play, and never trailed again from that point forward, winning 87-77.
“(Last year) We played like we were scared. … (On Thursday) We met every challenge,” said coach Steve Alford. “Any time there was a run, I think Kentucky’s run was maybe three, four or five points at the most. We stayed away from any kind of 10-0 run.”
The game was almost the polar opposite of the one these two teams played last December. In that game, Kentucky mounted a 24-0 run to start the game, and led 41-7 at halftime.
That history made Thursday night all the more sweet for UCLA (5-3), which led the game for all but a minute and 40 seconds.
“It’s pretty nice. I heard a lot this past week about trying to make it competitive,” said junior guard Bryce Alford. “I would say we kept it pretty competitive.”
PHOTO GALLERY: Relive Thursday night’s upset win over Kentucky with Daily Bruin Photo.
The Bruins pulled off the upset by defending the 3-point line well and by attacking the basket on offense. The Wildcats (7-1) went just eight for 25 from the 3-point line – a far cry from their 12-26 performance from beyond the arc in last year’s game. UCLA, on the other hand, attacked the basket relentlessly, scoring 30 points in the paint and only taking 11 shots from beyond the arc.
Once the Bruins pushed ahead to their eight-point lead at halftime, they were in control the rest of the way. Kentucky brought it down to a nine-point game with 1:13 to go, but wouldn’t come any closer at any point during the second half.
The win was the ultimate revenge match for the Bruins. Instead of being embarrassed or pushed around by the Wildcats, they both duped and dominated them.
READ MORE: Postgame notebook – big plays help Bruins dominate on national stage.
There were moments when UCLA made Kentucky look clueless, such as when junior guard Isaac Hamilton threw the ball off a Kentucky player’s back and scored on an inbounds play. Then, there were moments when UCLA posterized Kentucky, such as when freshman guard Prince Ali charged down the lane and dunked the ball over forward Alex Poythress.
“That was incredible,” said freshman guard Aaron Holiday. “I see (Ali) do that in practice all the time, but to see him actually (do that) in the game against the No. 1 team, that was incredible.”
On Thursday night, UCLA was the only team laughing.
Young Bruins, this is the way it was in the “Good old days.” Savor this memory and bring back past glory. This is the way you are supposed to play. GO BRUINS!!!!
Rarely does any team beat Kentucky in Kentucky.