Kentucky's Comeback Falls Short in 64-63 Loss to Notre Dame 

It was a tale of two halves Saturday at Rupp Arena.

Unfortunately, Kentucky struggled too much early on to overcome an enormous halftime deficit. The Wildcats were one shot away from a miraculous win, but Olivier Sarr’s open attempt from the corner missed, ultimately falling 64-63 to Notre Dame. It’s Kentucky’s fourth straight loss and Notre Dame’s first ever win at Rupp Arena.

Notre Dame could do no wrong in the first half. The Fighting Irish made five of their first seven three-point attempts, including four in a row, to sprint out to a 33-9 lead. Despite the lopsided score, Kentucky showed some fight in the final eight minutes of the half hung around until water found its level.

Trailing by 22 points at halftime, the largest home deficit at the midway point in school history, the Wildcats did not quit.

Notre Dame hit a shot with 16:22 to play. They would not score again for another nine minutes. Kentucky slowly chipped away at the lead until Devin Askew hit a three to cut it to ten points. Davion Mintz scored in transition, Sarr finished around the rim and showed off his midrange game to drop the deficit to four points and cap off a 16-0 run. Mintz had a chance to get within one, but the ball slipped out of his hands, leading to a breakaway bucket that ended Notre Dame’s scoring drought.

Kentucky created chaos in the final two minutes, forcing a turnover on the press that led to a Terrence Clarke layup. After giving up a bucket to Notre Dame they responded a by feeding Sarr, who made it a one-point game with 41.9 to go. On the ensuing possession UK forced a shot clock violation, giving the Cats one shot at the win.

With 7.6 to play, Clarke took the inbounds pass, found B.J. Boston who dished it to Sarr in the corner for a chance at the win. His shot was one inch away from going in, a heartbreaker.

Kentucky came THIS close to hitting the game winner against Notre Dame 😬 pic.twitter.com/r3CRq48yQ4

— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) December 12, 2020

Sarr led all scorers with 22 points, knocking down 11-of-16 shots from the field and grabbing seven rebounds.

At one point in this game, apathy appeared to set in across the Big Blue Nation, yet the team never quit fighting. Even though the Cats did not secure a win, that mentality will ensure this season is not a lost cause.