Georgetown was a trap game, and Kentucky fell for it

Trap games have existed in sports since the beginning of competition. No matter how much modern sports psychology can make you aware of them, teams always find ways to fall victim to them. Stereotypically, a trap game is one against a lesser opponent before a marquee matchup that a team overlooks in anticipation of the bigger event. Usually, they lose it. Trap games sometimes also come immediately after another big game in which the team wins. That is exactly what happened to Kentucky in their loss to Georgetown on Thursday night.

While no one is mistaking Nichols State as a powerhouse, there is something special about the first game of the regular season. While Kentucky versus a mid-major on a Tuesday doesn’t exude the primetime on ABC allure to a national audience, officially kicking off such a highly anticipated season is a big deal to the players and to Big Blue Nation.

Of course, the real kickoff was against No. 1 Purdue in the first exhibition game, a spectacular contest that had everyone dreaming of a special combination of ladders, scissors, and nets. According to the Boilermakers’ own coach, Kentucky walked them, and did so without their starting point guard.

Wedged between these two big games came the other exhibition game. Georgetown. Wait, the one up the road? No? Oh, the one that was good in the 80s, roughly 30 years before anyone on the current team was born? Are they good now? Not really, but yeah, that one.

Vibes reeked of, “Let’s just get through this game,” from the start. Mark Pope held out both Jaland Lowe and Denzel Aberdeen out of the utmost caution as they recover from injuries, and Rupp Arena showcased large sections of empty bleachers in the upper level. Even the body language of the players on the court gave off an unusual lack of desire to be there. Sure, they still wanted to win. They competed. But the game that was sandwiched between the ones that matter swallowed up Kentucky and spat them out. You might even say it trapped them.

The good news is that, unlike more traditional trap games, this one didn’t count against Kentucky’s record. They are still 0-0. Lesson learned. Time for everyone to get laser-focused on that big opening game of the highly anticipated regular season.