Kentucky's win in London came at the perfect time after all
It’s been three years since Kentucky vs. Michigan in London was first announced. Originally intended for December 2020, the Hall of Fame London Showcase was pushed back once, and then twice due to the pandemic. When the final date of December 4, 2022 was confirmed, Kentucky Football had dreams of being in Atlanta for the SEC Championship game the same weekend, creating a conundrum for fans who devote a portion of their budget to big-game travel. Even when it became clear that wasn’t going to happen, the sports gods conspired again, scheduling England’s Round of 16 match in the World Cup an hour after tip-off, a blow to the event’s entire purpose, promoting American college basketball abroad. So, you could say the timing of this game was always a little off.
“This was supposed to be, think about this, three years ago,” John Calipari said in his postgame press conference. “And all of a sudden the World Cup is this year? And it’s in a place where they’ve got to move the time to this time? And England’s playing at the same time we’re playing? What are you talking about? That’s like the stars being aligned. How the heck did that happen?
“But, you know what? That being said, it was a great crowd. And how about Big Blue Nation, Kentucky, being here, in London? And it’s not London, Kentucky. Literally doesn’t matter where we play, they figure out how to get tickets, how to get in the building, and all that.”
Cal’s right: all things considered, the crowd was impressive. The announced attendance was 8,242, which is generous, but at times, it felt like the building was sold out. By this blogger’s estimate, Kentucky fans made up approximately 75% of the crowd, the rest mostly Michigan fans, followed by a smattering of Maine and Marist fans (the event was actually a double-header) and a few curious locals.
The event lived up to its mission: those in the stands got to see a great game, a back-and-forth affair featuring two tough teams with elite big men and a superstar freshman coming through in the clutch. After failing its first big tests of the season vs. Michigan State and Gonzaga, the Cats came together and matched the Wolverines blow for blow, withstanding a late Michigan rally thanks to inspired play by Jacob Toppin and a huge three by Cason Wallace to put the game on ice. The 73-69 win over the Wolverines is Kentucky’s first away from Rupp Arena and first over a Power Five opponent.
“Just to win on the road feels good,” Wallace said. “You know, we’ve struggled on the road, we were struggling on the road. We played against a good team tonight and I’m just glad we came out on top, really.”
“We worked on execution,” Calipari said. “We were better today. We worked on ending games. We were better today but we missed free throws again, which is what we did vs. Michigan State.”
“I think this game is kind of the same game we played against Michigan State,” Oscar Tshiebwe said. “We just needed to figure out how to win at the end of the game. Like Coach said, you’ve got to play not to lose. You’ve got to play like you’ve got nothing to lose. Gonzaga, I feel like they started on fire and they got us thinking they are better than us but I think we’ve got a good team. We’ve got people who can play. Starting today, we’re going to start building up, stay together.”
Cason Wallace steps into the spotlight
If this Kentucky team is going to do something special, Cason Wallace must be a big reason why. The five-star combo guard is the highest-ranked member of Kentucky’s freshman class and is billed as a defense-first alpha dog that can light it up from anywhere on the floor. Thus far, Wallace has been good, but not great. Tonight, John Calipari revealed he’s been dealing with a minor finger injury, but made it clear he expects more from his talented freshman.
“I’ve challenged him for a little while, like, come on, kid,” Calipari said.
“Definitely was challenged because I was a few steps behind on defense,” Wallace said. “On offense, wasn’t really being aggressive, so just coming off screens and getting active with my teammates, listening to them. They were building up my confidence.”
It helped. Wallace’s three with 1:12 left pushed the lead to five. Wallace said the team had been focusing on the scenario in practice, so when he saw he was open, he knew he had to let it fly.
“We’ve been in practice stressing the inside-out threes. We get to the paint, we kick it out, we’ve gotta shoot those if they’re open so it was one of those moments where it was inside-out and I had to shoot it because if I don’t, I would be a selfish teammate. So, I shot the ball and it went in.”
If Wallace is to follow the path of other great Kentucky one-and-dones, he can check “big moment in an early-season big game” off his checklist.
A Big Blue Family Reunion in Britain
The basketball team needed this win to get some momentum rolling, but fans needed it too. Morale in the Big Blue Nation has been low following the disappointing losses to Michigan State and Gonzaga. Kentucky is still working through its issues on offense, but finally got a flow going with certain lineups. Just seeing them win was a huge relief for the fans that spent plenty a pretty penny — or pound — to be here.
The Observatory Pub outside the O2 was packed with Kentucky fans up to four hours before tipoff. Obviously, most came from the States, but some we spoke to came from as far away as Spain and Malaysia. Many used the game as a meeting point for friends and family from different cities and countries, all convening in London to cheer on the Cats. The pub felt like a Big Blue Family Reunion, with everyone worried Kentucky wouldn’t rise to the occasion. Kentucky fans drank the bar dry of Woodford Reserve, which is only slightly less shocking than blue getting in, even across the pond.
With all that built-up anxiety, it’s really no surprise that when Kentucky made its stand in the second half, Big Blue Nation from near and far had its back. Fans were on their feet during the final stretch, doing “Go Big Blue” and “CATS” chants. The roar when Wallace hit his three was downright cathartic.
“I felt like we were celebrating at home,” Oscar said of the cheers. “It was good. It was good because many people think our team is kind of shaky but this is going to give many people hope that we are a good team and we’re going to keep fighting.”
Whether Kentucky has found its footing to get a potentially special season back on track remains to be seen; however, tonight was a big step forward for a team that needed one, and a moment of respite for an angsty fanbase.
The timing ended up being perfect after all.
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