Two former Kentucky basketball stars lead Washington to upset of Gonzaga
A pair of former Kentucky players starred for Washington on Saturday night as the Huskies knocked off No. 7-ranked Gonzaga for the first time since 2005.
Keion Brooks scored 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds and Sahvir Wheeler scored 16 points and dished four assists as Washington upset the Zags 78-73 in Seattle.
The win snapped a seven-game losing streak for Washington against Gonzaga. It was the Huskies’ first win over a Top 10 team since the 2017-18 season.
“To be with your family, friends — a lot of our parents, the parents of some of our players were there — to do it in front of our home crowd, in front of our city, a team that has had our number since 2005, one of the best college basketball programs in the country, it means a lot,” Washington coach Mike Hopkins said.
A 6-foot-7 forward, Brooks played three seasons for the Wildcats before leaving after the 2021-22 campaign. He averaged 17.7 points per game for the Huskies last season. He’s averaging 19.9 points and 7.9 rebounds this season.
A 5-9 point guard, Wheeler began his college career at Georgia, leaving after two years for UK. He played two seasons for Kentucky before joining Washington this season. He’s averaging 16.1 points and 6.5 assists per game.
Gonzaga led 48-42 at the half and by as many as 11 points in the second half before Washington stormed back. The Zags were just 5-for-18 from 3-point range for the game and made just one of their 12 shots in the final seven minutes.
Meanwhile, Brooks was 5-for-12 from the floor, including 1-for-4 from 3-point range, but the super senior was a perfect 6-for-6 from the foul line. He made four free throws in the final minute.
Wheeler was 5-for-11 from the floor,including 1-for-3 from 3. He made five of his seven free throws for the Huskies, who are 6-3 on the season. Gonzaga is 7-2.
Kentucky plays host to Gonzaga on Feb. 10 at Rupp Arena.
This story was originally published December 10, 2023 at 7:42 AM.
