Kentucky Wildcats drop 10 spots in the AP Top 25 Poll after wild, back-and-forth overtime loss to unranked Seton Hall
- The Kentucky Wildcats have struggled out of the gates this season despite entering the year with a plethora of talent and extremely high expectations.
- In the then-No. 2 Wildcats' season debut, the then-third-ranked Duke Blue Devils handed head coach John Calipari the worst loss of his coaching career at any level in the form of a stunning 118-84 rout at the Champions Classic in Indianapolis.
- Kentucky readily handled its next six opponents - none of which belong to one of the Power 5 conferences or were ranked in the AP Top 25 Poll - before taking on the Seton Hall Pirates at Madison Square Garden Saturday night.
- Seton Hall shooting guard Myles Powell hit clutch back-to-back three-pointers down the stretch to put his team ahead by three with 1.5 seconds remaining in regulation, but Wildcats guard Keldon Johnson miraculously drained a half-court heave at the buzzer to send the game to overtime.
- The Pirates pulled ahead early in overtime and managed to hang on for the 84-83 upset, knocking Kentucky back 10 slots in Monday's AP Top 25 Poll and giving Big Blue Nation serious cause for concern heading forward.
The Kentucky Wildcats are ordinarily a staple amongst the top college basketball teams in the nation, but John Calipari's squad has hit some major turbulence early in this season.
In the then-No. 2 Wildcats' season debut, the then-third-ranked Duke Blue Devils handed head coach John Calipari the worst loss of his coaching career at any level in the form of a stunning 118-84 rout at the Champions Classic in Indianapolis.
Nearly five weeks and six double-digit wins against unranked, non-Power 5 conference opponents later, Kentucky looked as though it had gained back some much-needed confidence in gearing up to face the Utah Utes, No. 12 North Carolina Tar Heels, and Louisville Cardinals before the end of the year. The Wildcats had just the Seton Hall Pirates standing in their way before heading into a tough stretch in their schedule, and they managed to become Kentucky's worst nightmare.
Senton Hall shooting guard Myles Powell caught the then-No. 9 Wildcats on their heels and erupted for 28 points in the down-to-the-wire contest. The Pirates used an 11-0 run to pull themselves back from a six-point halftime deficit, and the two sides swapped leads the rest of the way.
With just 1:18 left to play, Powell hit a clutch shot from beyond the arc to tie the game at 67 before draining a sensational step-back trey to give Seton Hall a three-point lead with 1.5 left to play.
Not to be outdone, Kentucky guard Keldon Johnson received the inbounds pass and miraculously drained a half-court heave at the buzzer to send the game to overtime.
The Pirates jumped out to an early overtime lead but the Wildcats came back late and took an 82-81 lead with 43.9 seconds remaining and used a free throw to extend that lead to two, but Seton Hall's Myles Cale hit a go-ahead three with 9.5 seconds remaining to secure the upset.
The Pirates earned a single vote in the AP Top 25 Poll for Week 6, but it was Kentucky who was severely impacted by Saturday's outcome. The Wildcats dropped a whopping 10 spots in the poll to No. 19 in the country. Kentucky will need to use all three of its remaining December contests to sure up play before heading into conference play in an unusually competitive SEC.