The heavily favored Kentucky Wildcats (ranked no.2) suffered a shocking defeat in the NCAA Tournament’s first round, falling 76-80 to the no. 14 seed Oakland Golden Grizzlies. This marks the 3rd straight year Kentucky has failed to reach the Sweet 16 under head coach John Calipari. Even more disheartening, it’s the second time in three years the Wildcats have been knocked out in the opening round by a significantly lower-seeded team.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Max Christie revealed during a pre-game interview with Spectrum SportsNet that the Lakers’ contingent of Kentucky alumni (Anthony Davis and Jarred Vanderbilt) was “in shambles” by their alma mater’s upset loss.

Picking upsets in March Madness is a thrilling but tricky part of the tournament. Predicting them throughout the season, however, is an even bigger challenge. This year has been particularly wild, with even the top-ranked teams (currently Purdue, Houston, and UConn) suffering surprising losses. The road has been especially treacherous for ranked teams this year. Purdue, the latest of the top 3, recently fell to an unranked opponent, proving that no team is truly safe from a head-scratching defeat.

Speaking of defeats, things aren’t exactly a smooth sail in Los Angeles either. While they’ve navigated a tough stretch with a respectable 6-4 record in their last ten games, they remain stuck in ninth place. They’re just a hair’s breadth ahead of the Warriors, who hold the tiebreaker. Having lived through both worlds, the Lakers’ forward, brings about a reminisce of the journey one treads.

Anthony Davis: A College Star Turned NBA Champion

Anthony Davis’ college career was a masterclass in shot-blocking. During the 2011-12 season, he surpassed many entire Division I teams in blocks per game. One unforgettable moment came in a game against Arkansas. Davis shattered the Kentucky men’s basketball record for single-season blocks, surpassing legends like Melvin Turpin and Andre Riddick (83 blocks). He also became the SEC freshman record holder with an astounding 116 blocks, breaking Shaquille O’Neal’s record at LSU.

Averaging a dominant 14.2 points, 10.4 rebounds, and a staggering 4.7 blocks per game, Davis established himself as a force to be reckoned with. Anthony Davis has translated his college dominance to the NBA, becoming one of the league’s most feared defenders. Capping off his remarkable journey, he achieved the ultimate prize in 2020 by winning the NBA Finals with the Los Angeles Lakers.

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Unlike his teammate Anthony Davis, Jarred Vanderbilt’s time at Kentucky wasn’t a fairytale. Despite entering college highly regarded, injuries limited him to just 14 games for the Wildcats. In those games, he averaged a respectable 5.9 points and 7.9 rebounds in limited minutes (17.0 per game). Following this shortened season, Vanderbilt declared for the 2018 NBA Draft.

With Kentucky’s loss, hopefully the right kind of fire is lit up in the Lakers camp, at least with the ex-Wildcats!

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