Kentucky MBB Stunned by UNC Wilmington, Spoiling Debut of New Rupp Arena Court

John Calipari is catching heat once again after the Wildcats’ latest upset loss.

Saturday should have been a celebratory day for Kentucky men’s basketball, as the program debuted a brand new court at Rupp Arena. Instead, the Wildcats suffered their second loss of the season, and it isn’t one that John Calipari will be able to write off too easily. 

Kentucky, an 18.5-point favorite entering Saturday’s game, fell to UNC Wilmington 80–73. The stunning loss comes just days after Kentucky notched a statement win in the ACC/SEC challenge, taking down No. 8 Miami, 95–73.

Calipari’s club struggled to find the bottom of the net, shooting just 40.7% from the field and 5-for-17 from three point range. Guard Reed Sheppard had an impressive scoring effort, with 25 points and nine rebounds, but Kentucky’s bench was outscored 47–5 in the game. Seahawks’ forward Trazarien White led all scorers with 27 points off the bench.  

UNC Wilmington stuns No. 12 Kentucky at Rupp Arena!

It's the Seahawks' first ranked road win in program history.

Kentucky was an 18.5-point favorite. 🏀🚨 pic.twitter.com/0DbfajLMEE

— The Comeback (@thecomeback) December 2, 2023

Calipari is a fixture in Lexington, but the upset loss has some members of Big Blue Nation calling his leadership into question once again. Kentucky has failed to reach the second weekend of the men’s NCAA tournament since 2019 (with the 2020 tournament was canceled due to COVID-19), including a 9–16 season in 2020–21. The team was bounced as a No. 2 seed by No. 15 Saint Peter’s in the first round in 2022, and fell to No. 3 seed Kansas State in the second round in 2023.

While college football is top of mind for many college athletics fans on Saturday, Kentucky joins Villanova and Duke as powerhouse programs to suffer major upsets already on the day.

🚨Another blueblood upset in what's become a consequential college hoops weekend: Takayo Siddle's UNC Wilmington Seahawks fly into Rupp and upset No. 12 UK 80-73.

Wildcats had been winning in some entertaining ways, but I'm afraid that's a #SeedLineLoss for John Calipari and Co.

— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) December 2, 2023

Kentucky, first 10 Calipari seasons (2009-2019): 6 losses to teams outside of the KenPom top 100
Kentucky, last 4+ Calipari seasons: 6 losses to teams outside of the KenPom top 100

— Will Warren (@statsbywill) December 2, 2023

Kentucky’s shot chart today won’t look like this one for its first seven games, which had eradicated the midrange.

I count 19 FGA today that were not layups, dunks or 3s. Subtracting Wagner, adding Bradshaw clearly threw off the rhythm.

Now John Calipari has to figure that out. pic.twitter.com/5RupqmbyWt

— Kyle Tucker (@KyleTucker_ATH) December 2, 2023

Meanwhile, the win is a statement for UNCW (coincidentally, one of the two schools at which Calipari played point guard), which is looking to return to the top of the CAA in 2023–24, after winning a share of the conference and reaching the CBI in 2021–22. The Seahawks are 6–2 with the win, bouncing back from a recent loss to ECU.

The Wildcats will look to bounce back next Saturday, when they face Penn at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.