NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The 18th-ranked Kentucky Wildcats have lost consecutive games and three of their last five. Worse, they are struggling to shoot.
Panic is bubbling up in the Bluegrass State.
Fans booed the Wildcats off the court at halftime Friday night and headed to the exits before Kentucky’s 94-59 loss to No. 11 Gonzaga that dropped the Wildcats to 5-4.
Onetime Kentucky one-and-done star DeMarcus Cousins didn’t hold back on his opinion on social media: «Can’t lie…this uk team has no heart! This is hard to watch smh»
Kentucky coach Mark Pope took no issue issue with Cousins’ opinion and took the blame to himself.
«As a former player, I’m pissed at the coach, too, and that’s just all deserved,» Pope said. «There’s nothing inappropriate about what he said at all.»
The Wildcats missed their first 10 shots and first seven outside the arc. The Wildcats shot so poorly that Gonzaga’s Graham Ike made more buckets inside the arc (10) than Kentucky (nine). Kentucky wound up 16-of-60 (26.7%) and 7-of-34 (20.6%) from 3-point range.
Asked if Wildcats were trying to do too much to help, Pope said it was more being indecisive: «It’s all coming from me. It’s on me.»
Fans tried to give Kentucky energy, roaring when Denzel Aberdeen knocked down the first 3 of the game. It didn’t help as Kentucky was 5-of-31 from the field and 3-of-20 from 3-point range in the first half, prompting more boos. The Wildcats trailed 43-20 at halftime.
«All the boos we heard tonight were incredibly well-deserved mostly for me, and we have to fix it,» Pope said.
Jaland Lowe the past five games with an injured right shoulder, though Lowe came off the bench against Gonzaga wearing a brace. Mouhamed Dioubate missed his fourth game Friday night.
Yet another tough nonconference schedule hasn’t helped. Each loss has been to a ranked opponent, starting with in-state rival Louisville on Nov. 11 and Michigan State on Nov. 18. Pope said it’s a bad spot right now.
«We have to dig ourselves out of it,» Pope said.
