Kentucky vs. UCLA: Score and Reaction from 2015 Regular Season

There’s a new leader for biggest upset of the 2015-16 college basketball season.

Nearly one year after suffering one of the most demoralizing losses in program history, the UCLA Bruins got revenge on the No. 1-ranked Kentucky Wildcats, winning 87-77 on Thursday night in Los Angeles at Pauley Pavilion.

All five Bruins starters scored in double figures, including a game-high 21 points from center Thomas Welsh. It’s the first time in 12 years that UCLA has knocked off a No. 1 team, according to the ESPN broadcast.

The Bruins only trailed once the entire game. That was when Isaiah Briscoe made a jumper to give the Wildcats a 2-0 lead.

From that point on, the Bruins took control.

They responded with a 9-0 run, which Bryce Alford capped off with a three-pointer, resulting in a 9-2 lead for the Bruins. UCLA took a 37-29 lead into halftime, and it was the first time Kentucky went into the locker room trailing this season, per UK’s Twitter.

UCLA now has 11 wins against No. 1 teams, which is the second-most of all time, trailing only North Carolina, per ESPN Stats & Info.

When Kentucky and UCLA got together last season, the Wildcats put on a dominant display in an 83-44 win.

In that game, Kentucky jumped out to a 41-7 lead by halftime. The Bruins shot 3-of-37 in the first half and ended up losing by 39 points.

This time, UCLA was more physical in the paint and would not be intimidated by coach John Calipari’s team. That was evident with just under 10 minutes to go in the second half when Prince Ali threw down this dunk to give UCLA a 14-point lead, as illustrated by Matt Norlander of CBS Sports:

The win over Kentucky is a flip of the script from the beginning of the season, when the Bruins lost at home to Monmouth College in the first game of the year, as CBS Sports’ Doug Gottlieb pointed out:

This game also showed that anything can happen in college basketball and that the parity this year is more evident than ever, per Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports:

The Bruins held Kentucky to 37.9 percent shooting, while the Bruins—who only played seven guys—shot 52.8 percent from the floor and got to the free-throw line 34 times.

It’s still relatively early in the season, but a win over a No. 1 team no matter the time of year will be good for UCLA’s resume. The Bruins didn’t start the campaign well with that shocking loss to Monmouth, but they have completely gotten past that with this win.

Postgame Reaction

With the young Kentucky squad struggling on the road, tempers began to flare in the second half.

Wildcats point guard Tyler Ulis got into a shouting match with freshman Skal Labissiere, which was captured by T.J. Beisner of Kentucky Sports Television:

That exchange and the dunk from Ali summed up the evening for the Wildcats. Kentucky got frustrated as the night went on, and Calipari's players took their frustrations out on each other. Calipari insisted that the shove was not meant to discourage Labissiere in any way, per Kyle Tucker of the Courier-Journal:

Phoenix Suns rookie guard Devin Booker, who played his college ball at Kentucky, gave props to the Bruins but also thought the Wildcats didn't show enough toughness:

For all the success Calipari has had as a head coach, especially at Kentucky, his teams are not known for starting the season strong. Calipari became the first coach in college basketball history to have four losses in November and December as the top team in the country, per ESPN Stats & Info.

Despite all the success and praise given to Kentucky, its youth proved to be a problem on Thursday, while UCLA's experience made a positive difference. Alford shot 5-of-13, but provided 15 points and Tony Parker scored 11 points. UCLA also played a more complete game by utilizing its balance, which is what UCLA coach Steve Alford noted, per Claire Fahy of the Daily Bruin:

After starting the year 3-1, the Bruins lost two games against Kansas and Wake Forest. This was a much-needed win after dropping those two games, per Liz Habib of MyFoxLA:

One thing that can be said about Kentucky is that this loss will not lead to a hangover. Calipari always finds a way to get his team back on track in time for the tournament. For UCLA, though, this win could catapult them to greatness. Those three early losses—especially the loss to Monmouth—may hurt them now, but a win like this could springboard UCLA into contender status once again.