Frustration was at an all-time high on Thursday among Kentucky alumni. The internet traffic on one of the team’s popular message boards proves it.
Kentucky was the first Goliath to fall in the first round of this year’s NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats were upset by Oakland 80-76 at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pa.
The team’s unceremonious exit led to fans flooding Kentucky’s message boards on Rivals.com with such volume that the site temporarily crashed.
#Kentucky message boards are down! #MeltdownAlert pic.twitter.com/k7bkNE1H1A
— Message Board Geniuses (@BoardGeniuses) March 22, 2024
The uptick in site traffic probably wasn’t exclusively caused by Kentucky students and alumni. The school’s detractors, the same ones who clowned Kentucky with memes after the upset loss, were also likely trying to access the online forums to revel in the sadness felt by Big Blue Nation.
Kentucky has struggled to live up to their on-paper talent over the last few years. John Calipari’s squad has failed to get past the second round of the NCAA Tournament since the 2018-19 season. They have yet to make the Final Four since 2015.
Senior guard Antonio Reeves led Kentucky with 27 points on 11/18 shooting. But star freshmen Rob Dillingham and Reed Sheppard, the team’s second and third-leading scorers respectively, combined for just 13 points in the loss to Oakland.
Kentucky’s worst nightmare came in the form of Jack Golhke. The Oakland senior torched the Wildcats for 32 points with 10 three-pointers and became a viral sensation on X in the process.
