The UK-Gonzaga series is going to be special. ‘Cal deserves a ton of credit for that.’

Things didn’t go according to plan for Kentucky on Sunday night, but — if this first game in the UK-Gonzaga series is any indication — the next several years should provide plenty of fun.

The Zags took it to the Wildcats, 88-72, to fire the opening shot in Spokane. Next year, the series comes to Lexington. And there will be four more installments after that one.

It will be tough to top the environment in the Spokane Arena for Game 1. And it’s tough to overstate the importance of that game for Gonzaga’s program.

As soon as the doors opened — around 3 p.m. local time for a 4:30 p.m. start — Gonzaga students rushed through the concourse, literally sprinting through the stands to claim their spots behind the baseline closest to the Kentucky bench. Those leading the charge said they lined up at 10 p.m. the night before. The low was 12 degrees, and they sat through that bitter cold to make sure they were first through the gates for this one.

Once those students settled into their positions — there were chairs, but they didn’t sit down — the taunts and catcalls began. They gave it to Kentucky’s players during pregame warm-ups, starting more than an hour before tip-off. They never let up. John Calipari probably got the worst of it, but no Kentucky player was spared the verbal barbs. Even the UK walk-ons were picked on.

When UK’s players came back onto the court for the final layup line, the students loudly sang “We Will Rock You!” as Queen blared over the sound system. Though technically a neutral-site game — since it wasn’t played in the Zags’ home gym — the atmosphere was as intimidating as any Kentucky will face all season.

The PA announcer rolled through the Cats’ starting five in a matter of seconds — even mispronouncing UK freshman Cason Wallace’s first name as “Carson” — then the lights went out, the spotlight hit the court, and Gonzaga’s lineup was introduced like it was the main event of WrestleMania.

“It was a great environment,” Calipari said of the crowd afterward.

Gonzaga Coach Mark Few credited Calipari for making it happen.

The Zags have obviously earned their spot as one of college basketball’s premier programs over the past two decades. But they still don’t get games like this in their hometown. Sunday marked the 18th time that Gonzaga had played in the Spokane Arena since the building opened in 1995.

Kentucky’s presence brought out a record crowd: 12,333 fans, nearly every one of them cheering wildly for the Zags.

“Yeah, it’s big,” Few said of the occasion. “There’s all kinds of variables or stuff that goes into having a top program. … There’s winning, and we’ve won for quite a long time. And then the recruiting kind of picks up after that. And then the final piece is to be kind of accepted — where it is OK to go play at your place or go play in your town. Cal deserves a ton of credit for that.”

When this game was announced over the summer, Calipari was tweaked by some in the national media for not playing the Zags on their true home court — the McCarthey Athletic Center, also known as The Kennel, a 6,000ish-capacity arena on Gonzaga’s campus with the reputation as one of the toughest places to play in all of college basketball.

“Play us in The Kennel, Cal!” yelled one student at the beginning of Sunday’s game.

“You’re scared of The Kennel, Cal!” bellowed another.

A sign a few rows behind the taunting youngsters read, “Coach Cal is scared of The Kennel.” Another sign declared, ‘Welcome to The Kennel 2.0.”

Kentucky will return to Spokane in 2027 for the final game of the series. And that matchup will indeed take place in The Kennel. Before that, the two teams will play in Rupp Arena in 2023, with neutral-site games set for Seattle (2024) and Nashville (2025) before a return to Rupp in 2026. College basketball fans are in for a real treat over that time.

“We see where college basketball is, and we see just how important playing these games are right now at this time of year,” Few said. “I’m guessing it probably got a great number tonight, and there were a lot of eyeballs on it. And I think it will be really, really good for the sport.”

Calipari and Few have grown close over the years. They played a series when Calipari was at Memphis and Few was still trying to get Gonzaga into the national spotlight, both coaches attempting (and ultimately succeeding) to position their programs as true powers despite league limitations. The two coaches served on various committees together in the years that followed, and they’ve clearly struck a lasting friendship.

On the day before this game, Calipari appeared on Few’s weekly coach’s show. Few gave Calipari the keys to Gonzaga’s practice facility, letting the Cats have the run of the place to prepare for Sunday night.

What happened in the game that followed wasn’t great for Kentucky. But what these two coaches started in Spokane this week is surely a good thing for the sport.

“Our friendship has really, really grown,” Few said. “We talk numerous times during the week. He’s always on. He’s always on. And he really, really cares about basketball and college basketball, and even NBA basketball, because he’s got so many great players in the NBA. He’s a good man.”

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