Kentucky coach Mark Pope admits fans' boos were 'completely justified' following 35-point loss to No. 11 Gonzaga

The Wildcats are off to a rough start this season. On Friday, Kentucky suffered a crushing 94-59 defeat to No. 11 Gonzaga in front of a largely home crowd at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

The game quickly turned one-sided, as Gonzaga opened with a 19-2 run and led 43-20 by halftime. As Kentucky players left the court for the locker room, fans expressed their frustration loudly with boos directed at the team.

The second half offered no reprieve. Kentucky struggled offensively, making just 16 of 60 field goal attempts (27%) and losing the rebounding battle 43-31. Gonzaga, in contrast, shot 57% from the field and converted 9-of-18 from three-point range. Graham Ike led all scorers with 28 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in 30 minutes.

After the loss, head coach Mark Pope acknowledged that the boos were warranted, taking responsibility for the teams performance: Weve diminished into a bad spot right now and we have to dig ourselves out of it. Its going to be an internal group thing and we feel the responsibility we have to this university and this fan base. All the boos we heard tonight were incredibly well-deserved, mostly from me. We have to fix it.

Kentucky entered the season ranked No. 9 after finishing 24-12 last year under Pope. The Wildcats invested heavily in transfers, including Arizona State's Jayden Quaintance, Pitt's Jaland Lowe, Florida's Denzel Aberdeen, and Alabama's Mouhamed Dioubate, reportedly spending $22 million on the roster. Despite the talent, the team has lost all four games against ranked opponents this season.

Injuries have contributed to the struggles. Quaintance is still recovering from a torn ACL, Dioubate missed his fourth consecutive game with a sprained ankle, and Lowe returned from a shoulder injury on Friday but scored no points on 0-of-5 shooting. Still, even a depleted Kentucky squad is not expected to lose by such a wide margin.

Pope and his team will have opportunities to rebound with two upcoming matchups against ranked opponents this month home against No. 22 Indiana and in Atlanta against No. 23 St. Johns before conference play begins in the new year.

Author: Connor Blake