Will Kentucky-Gonzaga be the ‘most-anticipated’ game of the Calipari-coaching era?
The announcement by John Calipari and Mark Few on Tuesday night that Kentucky will face Gonzaga in men’s basketball in 2022-23 should leave hoops fans filled with the giddy anticipation of a child on Christmas Eve.
The Nov. 20 meeting in the Spokane Arena will be only the second men’s basketball matchup ever between the Wildcats and the Zags. It will also likely be the most-hyped non-conference game in college hoops in the coming season.
In the big picture, will it end up being considered the most-anticipated UK game of the Calipari coaching era (since 2009-10)? Bear with me, I will give you a top five of such games.
As a matchup, Cats vs. Zags will supply ample fuel for what will be a run-away hype train:
▪ A likely meeting of top-five teams. CBSSports.com college hoops writer Gary Parrish has Gonzaga No. 1 and Kentucky No. 4 in his Top 25 and 1 rankings. ESPN.com’s Jeff Borzello has the Zags No. 2 and the Cats No. 4 in the Way-Too-Early Top 25. SI.com’s Kevin Sweeney also has Gonzaga at No. 2 and Kentucky at No. 4.
▪ Blue blood vs. new blood. As college hoops aristocracy goes, the blood doesn’t get much bluer than Kentucky. The Wildcats are No. 2 (behind Kansas) in all-time wins (2,357 to 2,353); No. 2 (behind North Carolina) in all-time NCAA Tournament victories (131 to 129); and No. 2 (behind UCLA) in NCAA titles (11 to 8).
Meanwhile, Gonzaga, even without winning an NCAA championship yet, has arguably been the top program in the country over the past half-decade. Few has coached the Zags to at least the round of 16 in every NCAA tourney since 2015 and to the NCAA Finals in 2017 and 2021. Only Villanova (20) has more NCAA Tournament victories than Gonzaga (19) since 2016.
▪ Elite big men. Kentucky-Gonzaga will feature a low-post showdown of fourth-year college stars that is straight out of college basketball’s old school.
UK’s 6-foot-9, 255-pound Oscar Tshiebwe (17. 4 points, 15.2 rebounds in 2021-22) is the reigning National Player of the Year. Gonzaga’s 6-10, 235-pound Drew Timme (18.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg) is a two-time All-America choice.
Because not even good things in 2022 can come without controversy, the announcement of Kentucky playing Gonzaga ginned up contention when Calipari took to Twitter on Wednesday to state that the Cats and Zags would play in Spokane Arena, a municipal facility, rather than in Gonzaga’s on-campus McCarthey Athletic Center.
I’m excited about playing Gonzaga. I’m disappointed that we have to go there first, but to make it happen I was willing to do that. Playing in front of 13K crazy fans in Spokane Arena will be exciting just like it will be in front of 22K fans in Rupp next year.
— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) August 4, 2022
Since Gonzaga’s Few agreed to return a game in Rupp Arena in 2023-24, I think UK should have played in whichever Spokane venue the Zags preferred. When North Carolina visited Gonzaga in 2019-20, Roy Williams and the Tar Heels played in McCarthey (and lost 94-81).
However, by playing in the municipal arena (seating capacity for basketball of 11,736) instead of “The Kennel” (6,000), roughly twice as many fans will get to see the game in person.
Back in his Memphis days, Calipari negotiated a four-year contract to play Gonzaga. The Tigers won three of the four games, including both contests played in Spokane — in the municipal arena. (Calipari only coached Memphis in the first two of those games before leaving for UK).
So will Kentucky-Gonzaga this season prove to be the “most-anticipated” UK game of the Calipari era?
First, a caveat: An “anticipated game” is one that gets blood pumping the second it is announced on the schedule. Not all big games qualify.
In our state, Kentucky vs. Louisville in the 2012 Final Four was as momentous as a game can get. As regular-season contests go, No. 1 Tennessee visiting No. 5 Kentucky in 2018-19 was humongous.
But neither appear on the below list because, for different reasons, there was no way to anticipate the consequences of either matchup during the preseason.
In my opinion, Kentucky’s five “most-anticipated” games since 2009-10 are:
5.) Kentucky vs. Kansas, 2016-17. The SEC/Big 12 Challenge brought the Jayhawks to Rupp Arena for the first time in 12 seasons and the second time in 27 years. That UK and KU were both considered NCAA title contenders added to the buzz.
In the game, Kansas prize freshman Josh Jackson (20 points, 10 rebounds) outplayed Kentucky star frosh Malik Monk (18 points), Bam Adebayo (10) and De’Aaron Fox (10) in a 79-73 win for Rock, Chalk.
4.) Kentucky vs. Duke in the Champions Classic, 2018-19. UK had gone 4-0 on a preseason exhibition tour in the Bahamas and was ranked No. 2 in the country. Duke had a lavishly hyped freshman class led by Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett and Cam Reddish and was ranked No. 4.
A UK-heavy crowd of 18,907 in the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis was stunned when Duke obliterated the Cats, 118-84.
3.) Kentucky vs. Louisville, 2009-10. The buildup to the first UK-U of L meeting that matched Calipari vs. his longtime nemesis and ex-UK head man Rick Pitino had so much heat there was nearly a brawl in the first minute of the game. The play, both ways, in what became a 71-62 UK victory had a nasty edge.
2.) Kentucky vs. Gonzaga, 2022-23. It should be a boffo show.
1.) Kentucky vs. North Carolina, 2011-12. The game was widely perceived to feature the two most talented teams in the country and the two teams most likely to win the NCAA title. It was a rematch of the prior season’s Elite Eight meeting that sent UK to the Final Four.
The contest lived up to every bit of its pregame hype, too, as Kentucky prevailed 73-72 after Anthony Davis blocked John Henson’s bid for a game-winning 12-foot jumper in the final seconds.
We can only hope Kentucky vs. Gonzaga in 2022-23 yields a game so great.
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