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Utah shocks the nation with 69-66 victory over No. 6 Kentucky

Timmy Allen dropped a game-high 25 points in Utah's "neutral court" win over Kentucky; its first win over a ranked opponent since 2016

Ryan Kostecka

Utah shocks the nation with 69-66 victory over No. 6 Kentucky
Utah shocks the nation with 69-66 victory over No. 6 Kentucky /

Without knowing it, the year 2016 was an important one for both Utah and star player Timmy Allen.

For Utah, it'd been three years worth of waiting. But when the buzzer sounded and the clock showed zeros, the wait was all worth it for the Utes and Allen.

With 1:14 to play, Allen hit a tie-breaking floater over the outstretched hand of Kentucky's Nick Richards to put the Utes up for good, and Utah hung on for the 69-66 win at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

"It was tough, but that's the stuff I work on," Allen said. "I'm not surprised I made it, but I had a 6-foot-11 guy right there, so getting it over him was tough; he's a big, physical presence. But that's the stuff I work on."

The win was Utah's first victory over a nationally-ranked opponent since 2016, when the Utes took down No. 9 Arizona 70-64 at home on Feb. 27, 2016.

For Allen, who led the Utes with 25 points and nine rebounds, the win was particularly emotionally because the game was taking part of a contest benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer. The connection to Allen dates back three years prior when he lost his mom, Elise, to breast cancer in 2016. He honors his mom with a tattoo on his arm and a special message on his shoes.

"I told her this game was for her today, and I'm glad I lived up to it," Allen said.

Dec 18, 2019; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Utah Utes forward Timmy Allen (1) dribbles during the first half against the Kentucky Wildcats at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Utah was in control for much of the game, staving off every Kentucky run with a clutch bucket by Allen or point guard Rylan Jones (12 points, six assists). Jones, who was playing through a rib injury, got banged up late in the second half but returned to hit one-of-two free throws down the stretch to secure the win. 

“I think you can see Rylan has some poise and some savvy to him," said Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak. "These guys know he’s a warrior, and I thought there were a lot of savvy plays out there where he did a good job with foul trouble. That tumble he took with about 5:00 to go in the game, I couldn’t believe he came back out of the locker room. ... It says a lot about his toughness.”

Utah had its largest lead of the game at 56-39 midway through the half, but then Kentucky woke up. Led by Tyrese Maxey (18 points) and Ashton Hagans (16 points), the Wildcats responded with a 27-10 run and tied the game at 66 after Hagans stole the ball from Jones at midcourt and dunked it.

But not to be outdone, Utah scored the final three points of the game, while holding the Wildcats to 0-for-2 from beyond the arc in the final minute. 

Riley Battin (10 points) had two massive plays down the stretch. He hit a corner three-pointer with just under three minutes left to stop a Kentucky run, before drawing a charge on Maxey with 30 seconds left.

"They physically fought, they fought for position, they fought for defense, they fought for rebounds, they fought running down the floor, they outran (us)," said Kentucky coach John Calipari of Utah. "That's what I'm trying to get my team to do. That was a great win, and they deserved it. I mean, he outcoached me the way they did it, and they outplayed us. They deserved to win the game."

Both Gach was big for the Utes in the early going, scoring 12 of his 14 points in the first 10 minutes, while knocking down 3-of-5 form beyond the arc.

Overall, Krystkowiak was very pleased with his team's performance as Utah played in front of a pro-Kentucky crowd and not only held its own, but dominated at points.

"When we were under control, we were pretty darned good when we shared the ball," Krystkowiak said. "I thought there were some stretches when we lost our composure, turning it over and maybe forced some shots. For our guys to kind of stay in the fight, that was pretty cool."

Utah now returns to action when it faces No. 20 San Diego State on Saturday in the Basketball Hall of Fame Classic in Los Angeles.

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Ryan Kostecka
RYAN KOSTECKA

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