NCAA Basketball: Best games from 2019-20 season – Kentucky vs. Evansville

The unexpected happened when Kentucky and Evansville did battle in early November; let’s look at what happened.

When we talk about this past NCAA basketball season, it’s going to be impossible to do so without considering the national pandemic, which crippled the end of the season and canceled the NCAA Tournament. However, there were some special moments from this past season that won’t soon be forgotten, even if there wasn’t much postseason action. Nearing the end of our top 40 games of the 2019-20 season, we remember one of those unforgettable games.

4. Evansville 67, #1 Kentucky 64

November 12, 2019, Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY

At the beginning of the college basketball season, we got the usual treat of the Champions Classic on opening night. We got plenty of exciting nonconference matchups and rivalries and a plethora of other early-season tournaments, both domestic and abroad. We also got what was perhaps the most shocking result of the season on a Tuesday night in Lexington.

Kentucky was looking ready to roll this season, coming off their victory over top-ranked Michigan State in that Champions Classic. Four days early they had destroyed Eastern Kentucky. The talent on this roster seemed endless, with Tyrese Maxey, Immanuel Quickley Nate Sestina, and more. This was a group that could make serious noise in the postseason, especially as they continued to gel as a young squad.

On this night, they welcomed Evansville to Rupp. The Purple Aces took care of Ball State on opening night but were still a program few people knew much about. Their second-year coach was former Wildcat Walter McCarty, and he had a few talented players on his roster in DeAndre Williams and K. J. Riley. It remained to be seen what this Evansville squad was capable of, especially after finishing at the bottom of the MVC last season.

Evansville didn’t score on their first three possessions and definitely needed a hot start to not fall out of this game. Noah Frederking got the Purple Aces on the board, while a Jawaun Newton 3-pointer quickly tied things up at five. They were hanging tight early with the Wildcats, as Sam Cunliffe hit a pair of big 3-pointers later in the first half.

Suddenly, Kentucky’s offense vanished as Evansville held tight. Time seemed to be melting off the first half clock and suddenly the Purple Aces had a 24-16 lead. The Wildcats went nearly six and a half minutes without a field goal, but when they got back on track their offense was ready. They quickly pulled back to within a possession, but Riley came to play for Evansville, and his personal 5-point spurt put Evansville back in relative comfort.

Maxey’s layup in the waning seconds trimmed Evansville’s halftime lead to four, but the fact that they had hung with the Wildcats was already an impressive feat. What became even more impressive is the response the Purple Aces had after the halftime break because they weren’t backing down.

Frederking came out in the second half and hit a 3-pointer to extend the lead again. The Wildcats offense would hit a few key shots, but Evansville always had an answer. Kentucky finally got over the hump with just about 11 minutes left. After Maxey scored seven points in less than a minute, Sestina was true on a pair of free throws to give them the lead.

Mere moments later, Shamar Givance hit a 3-pointer that put Evansville back in front. Somehow, the Purple Aces were hanging tough and always had an answer on offense when needed. Riley hit a big 3-pointer with seven minutes left after Kentucky had tied the game again. A few minutes later, another Frederking long-range shot gave the Purple Aces a 6-point lead with just over four minutes left.

Evansville held on, limiting Kentucky’s offense down the stretch and always having a response on the offensive end. Riley’s extended the game to a 5-point lead late, but Kentucky scored on back-to-back possessions in the final minute, trailing now by just a single point. After being fouled, Cunliffe came up clutch with a pair of free throws, while Maxey’s 3-pointer at the end of the game missed the mark.

Evansville played tough basketball for 40 minutes and left Lexington with an improbable victory over the top-ranked team in the nation. Riley had 18 points, while Cunliffe’s 17 off the bench were huge for the Purple Aces. They outshot and outrebounded the Wildcats while making 92% of their free throws despite the rough crowd. Quickley’s 16-point, 9-rebound effort was great, but Kentucky watched as the seemingly impossible took place.

We didn’t know on November 12th what to think of this game, but in retrospect, it’s incredible to consider this happening. Evansville completely fell apart as the season progressed, losing several players to injury and their coach to allegation and resignation. The Purple Aces were completely swept in MVC play, losing all 19 games to their conference foes, despite having by far the best nonconference win in the conference.

This was certainly a blemish, but Kentucky didn’t panic. They inevitably gelled and lived up to their potential as the season progressed. These Wildcats won the SEC regular-season title by three games and were absolutely a national title threat by season’s end. Still, they had a confusing home loss to a team barely in the top 300 on their resume, though it wouldn’t matter by season’s end.

To many, Evansville’s win over Kentucky will be one of the most memorable parts of this season. We didn’t get the drama of an NCAA Tournament, but on that November night, we got to see the impossible happen for an underrated mid-major program. It clearly was one of the best games of the entire season.