VERY BAD NEWS FOR KENTUCKY: Texas Dominates in Game One with 85-52 Blowout Victory
For Kentucky, it was a performance to forget. Turnovers, missed shots, and breakdowns on defense quickly snowballed into one of their worst losses in recent memory. What was expected to be a tight contest turned into a one-sided rout, leaving fans, coaches, and players stunned.
“This was just very bad,” said Kentucky head coach John Calipari postgame. “There’s no excuse for what we just put on the floor tonight. We were outworked, outplayed, and outcoached. Period.”
Texas jumped out to an early double-digit lead behind a barrage of threes and aggressive transition play. Junior guard Malik Johnson led the Longhorns with 22 points, including four from deep, while senior forward Cam Wright added 16 points and 9 rebounds. The Longhorns’ defense was suffocating, forcing 17 turnovers and holding Kentucky to just 32% shooting from the field.
“I thought we set the tone right away,” said Texas head coach Rodney Terry. “We wanted to come out aggressive, make them uncomfortable, and control the tempo. Our guys executed that perfectly.”
For Kentucky, nothing went right. Star freshman Jaylen Davis was held to just 7 points on 2-of-10 shooting, while the Wildcats’ bench combined for just 9 total points. Communication on defense was lacking, and their offense was stagnant and predictable. Time and again, they were beaten in transition and on the boards, finishing with 12 fewer rebounds than Texas.
The 33-point loss is one of Kentucky’s most lopsided defeats in non-conference play over the past decade. Even more concerning was the lack of energy and cohesion from a team that came into the season with high expectations and top-tier talent.
Fans took to social media quickly, with frustration boiling over. “This is embarrassing. We looked unprepared and disinterested,” one fan posted. Another wrote, “If this is what our season’s gonna look like, we’re in serious trouble.”
Meanwhile, the Longhorns are riding high. The 85-point outburst showcased their offensive depth, with five players scoring in double figures. Defensively, they never let Kentucky breathe. The crowd at Moody Center was electric all night, feeding off every block, steal, and dunk.
Game two is just around the corner, and it’s clear the pressure is on Kentucky to respond — and fast. Another performance like this could shake the team’s confidence even further and raise serious questions about their readiness for SEC play.
For now, Texas walks away with a dominant statement win, while Kentucky is left searching for answers and trying to pick up the pieces after a very
bad night in Austin.
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