Basketball is a game of runs. You hear coaches say it until they’re blue in the face, but rarely do you see it play out as violently as it did when the Raiders walked into Lexington.
Honestly, if you looked at the box score of the December 11, 2024, matchup between No. 5 Kentucky and Colgate, you’d see a 78-67 win for the Cats and think, "Yeah, looks about right." But that score is a massive liar. It hides a game that had 19,000 people in Rupp Arena holding their breath and questioning everything they knew about Mark Pope’s new-look offense.
The Night UK vs Colgate Basketball Became a Thriller
The game started exactly how everyone expected. Kentucky exploded. A 17-0 run to open the game had the Rupp faithful settling in for what looked like a casual 40-point blowout. Colgate looked lost. They missed their first 13 shots. It was ugly.
But Matt Langel’s Colgate teams don't just roll over. They've made five straight NCAA tournaments for a reason. They play a brand of "zoom" offense that relies on spacing and fearless shooting. Slowly, that 17-point lead started to evaporate. By halftime, it was 38-36.
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The Lead Flip
Then, the unthinkable happened early in the second half. Jalen Cox nailed a three-pointer that gave Colgate a 42-41 lead. For a team that entered the game with a 2-8 record, leading the No. 5 team in the country on their home floor felt like a glitch in the simulation.
Breaking Down the "Pope Effect" Against the Raiders
Mark Pope wants his teams to shoot 30 to 35 threes a game. It’s the identity of this era of Kentucky basketball. However, against Colgate, the Cats were struggling. Aside from Koby Brea—who was an absolute flamethrower—the rest of the team was clanking shots off the back iron for most of the first half.
Brea finished with 17 points, going 5-of-6 from deep. When the game got tight and Colgate led 47-46, it was the three-point barrage that finally saved Kentucky. Jaxson Robinson hit two huge ones, Otega Oweh added another, and suddenly an 11-0 spurt put the Cats back in control.
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Key Stats That Mattered
- Second Chance Points: Kentucky dominated the glass 46-35. Those 13 second-chance points were the difference between a comfortable win and a historic upset.
- Three-Point Shooting: Colgate actually made more threes (11) than Kentucky (10).
- Star Power: Otega Oweh finished with 15 points, and Andrew Carr notched a quiet but vital double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Why Do These Matchups Keep Happening?
You might wonder why a blue blood like Kentucky even schedules a team like Colgate. It’s about the "Net Rating" and the specific challenge. Colgate plays a style that mimics high-level tournament teams. They move the ball, they don't beat themselves, and they shoot the lights out.
If you're Mark Pope, you want your guys to feel that pressure in December so they don't fold in March. It’s a chess match.
The history of uk vs colgate basketball is short—they've only played once in the modern era—but it established a precedent. Don't let the name on the front of the jersey fool you. The Raiders came into Rupp and outscored Kentucky for a 30-minute stretch. That’s not supposed to happen.
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What Fans Get Wrong About "Cupcake" Games
People see "Colgate" and think of toothpaste or a mid-major that's just there for a paycheck. That's a mistake.
- Mid-majors with veteran guards are dangerous.
- Rupp Arena is a massive target for every small-school player.
- Shooting variance can erase a talent gap in ten minutes.
If Kentucky isn't hitting their shots, they are vulnerable to any team that can execute a back-door cut and hit a corner three. We saw it against Evansville years ago, and we almost saw it again here.
Looking Ahead: The Next Chapter
As of the 2025-26 season, Kentucky's schedule is packed with even heavier hitters—North Carolina, Gonzaga, and Indiana. But the lesson from the Colgate game remains the foundation for this squad: defensive intensity cannot be optional when the shots aren't falling.
Actionable Insights for Fans:
- Watch the "Run" Markers: In future games, pay attention to the 12-minute media timeout in the second half. That is consistently where Kentucky has used their depth to pull away from tired mid-major opponents.
- Track the Three-Point Attempts: If Kentucky is under 25 attempts, they aren't playing "Pope Ball" effectively. They need volume to win big.
- Don't Leave Early: As the Colgate game proved, a 17-0 lead in college basketball is never as safe as it looks.
Keep an eye on the Raiders in the Patriot League. Any team that can give a Top-10 Kentucky team a scare in Lexington is a team nobody wants to see as a 14-seed in their bracket.