There seems to be more upsets in College hoops than in College football but to many fans Gardner-Webb’s victory over the Kentucky Wildcats is just as Big if not BIGGER than Appalachian State’s victory over the Michigan Wolverines to start the 2007 College football season.
from the wires of the Associated Press:
LEXINGTON, Ky. –Coach Billy Gillispie’s second game at Kentucky turned out to be the first shocker of the college basketball season.
Grayson Flittner scored 22 points to help Gardner-Webb beat the No. 20 Wildcats 84-68 Wednesday night in the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic.
The Wildcats hadn’t lost a regular-season game to a mid-major since falling to Western Kentucky on Nov. 15, 2001, in that season’s opener. They lost to Alabama-Birmingham in 2004 in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
Kentucky’s last home loss to an unranked nonconference foe was Dec. 3, 2005, against North Carolina.
The tournament had been set up to send four top programs – No. 3 Memphis, Connecticut, Oklahoma and Kentucky to New York next week to play in the semifinals.
However, instead of the Wildcats, Gardner-Webb, which finished 9-21 last season and tied for seventh in the Atlantic Sun Conference, will play the winner of Thursday night’s game between Buffalo and Connecticut.
Gillispie opened his tenure as Kentucky coach Tuesday night with a 67-40 victory over Central Arkansas. The former Texas A&M coach took over the Wildcats after Tubby Smith left for Minnesota.
Ramel Bradley led Kentucky with 24 points, including going 14-for-14 from the free throw line.
Gillispie was far more animated Tuesday night. In this one, he just knelt on the sideline and shook his head. Afterward, he walked down the sideline to shake hands with each of the Gardner-Webb players.
Although the Rupp Arena fans mildly applauded their support when the final horn sounded, the boo-birds came out early when the game appeared to be slipping away from Kentucky’s grasp.
As it turned out, the Wildcats never had control of this game, trailing 14-0 four minutes in, missing its first four shots and turning the ball over four times during that span.
App is 1-AA, and is the two time two time two time defending champ.
Gardner Webb was picked to finish 8th in the Atlantic Sun.
Gardner Webb is the bigger win.
App State’s win was a huge upset, but they were only a 27 1/2 point underdog. There have been at least four teams that have won games while being a 34 point underdog or greater. Two of those games were this year Syracuse/Louisville and UCS/Stanford.
GW is a much larger victory, but in the grand scheme of things, the victory means less due to the bowl setup vs. a 65 team field.
This is the biggest thing to ever happen to Gardner-Webb. We haven’t even dreamed of success such as this even when Artis Gilmore and John Drew were in school here. Appalachian has done well but the new dream team is Gardner-Webb. What we did is much bigger than what App did. Like other guy said, App has won titles, and Gardner-Webb, we were 9-21 last year.
Ask people in Louisville, Kentucky how big this is and they will tell you that they would trade places with us in a heartbeat.
Gardner-Webb has shocked the college basketball world and it’s time we did some talking. Gardner-Webb has arrived and it is our time to talk some smack. G-W is now the team to beat and don’t you forget it.
My prediction right here, right now, is that we will beat Appalachian State too, if and when they are willing to play us. We almost beat North Carolina in Chapel-Hill last year, have you people not ever heard of Gardner-Webb? Well you have now and this is not the last you will be hearing from us. Next game in New York, we are going to win that one too.
We are not going overboard, it’s just that our time has come and we need to make the most of it. Gardner-Webb Bulldogs
As big an upset as it was for GW – I have to go with ASU being the bigger upset. Basketball has always had big upsets over the years (remember Chaminade over UVA?). It’s easy for a player/team to get hot while another gets cold.
With scoring opportunities limited in football the better, stronger team usually wins. It was unheard of (before ASU-Michigan) for even the best 1AA team to beat even average Div. 1 schools. ASU could beat Wake, Furman beat UNC but they did it when Wake and UNC were below average.
Michigan was not only a great school, they are playing like it now – they will probably end up in a BCS bowl.
Hey guys I just got this off the Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs web site:
on the GW victory over Kentucky……
A lot of people will think this is a misprint, but I hope not,” Gardner-Webb coach Rick Scruggs said after the game. “I hope they get to see it and can enjoy it. It’s going to take a few days to settle in.”
This was huge for Gardner-webb
When I was in school, we were in the SAC 8 conference and we wouldn’t have ever thought we’d be playing Kentucky much less beating them good at home in a situation taylor made for them.
maybe not as noticeable as the ap win on the outside but, it’s huge for Gardner-webb and all the fine people associated with the University.
We are very proud of Gardner-Webb and my family has supported their efforts and the univeristy for many years. The Bulldogs are a rare and ferocious breed and the rest of the college basketball world better look out.
HA! HA! We can beat Gardner-Webb in any sport, any day of the week.
Randy J of App in Boone