On Tuesday night at Rupp Arena, the Kentucky Wildcats suffered one of its most embarrassing, unlikely losses in its history at the hands of Evansville, an unranked team that was 25-point underdogs entering the game and ESPN’s Basketball Power Index (BPI) had given them just a 4% chance to win.
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) November 13, 2019
The 67-64 win marked the Evansville program’s first victory over a No.
1-ranked team and snapped Kentucky’s 52-game winning streak over unranked non-league opponents inside Rupp Arena.— Abdul Memon (@abdulamemon) November 13, 2019
Following last season’s 11-21 record, the Evansville Purple Aces were predicted to finish eighth in the Missouri Valley Conference’s preseason poll.
To make matters sweeter for Evansville head coach and former Celtic Walter McCarty, other than the fact that Kentucky paid Evansville $90,000 to play them on their home court, the second-year coach won a national championship at Kentucky in 1996.
Evansville head coach Walter McCarty, who won a national championship as a player with Kentucky in 1996, just pulled off the upset against his alma mater. pic.twitter.com/9q9SvLHUEt
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 13, 2019
After the game, McCarty was predictably ecstatic.
“To be able to come back home and play against the No. 1 team in the country and be able to perform the way that we did, I don’t know if anything matches this other than winning a national championship,” he said. “It’s awesome, man. To be able to come here and play on this type of stage. My guys, I got a good group of guys, I really do. They love each other. They’re very connected.
“To bring this group in here and to be able to do that is just awesome; it doesn’t get any better than that.” [via ESPN]
— ESPN (@espn) November 13, 2019
Anyone and everyone with even a cursory interest in college basketball was stunned Kentucky getting upset at home by a school with 2,500 students.
— UMBC Athletics (@UMBCAthletics) November 13, 2019
— Scott Van Pelt (@notthefakeSVP) November 13, 2019
The Indiana crowd chanted “EVANSVILLE, EVANSVILLE” when they showed @UEAthletics_MBB’s win over No. 1 Kentucky on the screen!pic.twitter.com/gE47HT2NPS
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) November 13, 2019
— NOTSportsCenter (@NOTSportsCenter) November 13, 2019
🗣 DON’T LET THE PURPLE ACES FROM EVANSVILLE INDIANA GET HOT
It’s not Kentucky’s fault.. They just so happened to run into a fockin buzzsaw
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) November 13, 2019
— Hat Boy Kof (@Kofie) November 13, 2019
Kentucky was 39-0 as AP #1 at home vs unranked non-conf teams.
Kentucky had not lost as #1 against an unranked, non-major conf team since 1950.
Evansville just beat Kentucky at Rupp Arena.
— Dari Nowkhah (@ESPNDari) November 13, 2019
— Alex Kirshner (@alex_kirshner) November 13, 2019
Anyone know where I can cop an Evansville jersey?
