Poetic injustice: The three former Wildcats won the game for Arkansas

The first three buckets Arkansas scored against Kentucky in the super-hyped matchup between the Hogs and ‘Cats were all 3-pointers. Considering Arkansas came into the game averaging fewer than six total made 3s per game, the hot start would be enough for Kentucky fans to throw up their hands with the all-too-familiar “Everyone shoots lights out in Rupp” energy. But each 3-pointer being made or assisted by one of the three former Kentucky players in Arkansas’s starting lineup is the type of drama too outlandish to be real. It also proved to be miserably unfortunate foreshadowing.

DJ Wagner, Adou Thiero, and Zvonimir Ivisic all went off against their former squad, and it was clear from the jump they were playing with some extra fire. The boo-or-cheer Cal debate all week long overshadowed the boo-or-cheer the former players discussion, but the boos won out in a big way. Even in warmups, Wagner, Thiero, and Big Z all faced a slew of jeers and to say it motivated them puts it mildly.

All three former ‘Cats played far better than the norm

Adou Thiero came out firing out of the gate. The man who changed how he pronounces his last name also changed his basketball skillset, as he has taken his game to the next level. No one on Kentucky could match his athleticism, but unfortunately, no one matched his effort either. Adou finished with 21 points, the most he has scored in an SEC game in his entire three-year college career. He also had eight rebounds and three steals on the night, as the former ‘Cat showed he wasn’t very appreciative of Big Blue Nation’s unwelcoming hospitality.

Zvonimir Ivisic looked like he did in his Kentucky debut against Georiga last year, raining in 3s like a man possessed. He finished with 14 points on 4-7 shooting. This was the most 3s he made in SEC play, the most points he scored in SEC play, and only the third time he reached double figures in the last 12 games.

DJ Wagner saved his scoring until the second half when he poured in all of his season-high 17 points, far outpacing his 10 points per game average this season. He got to the rim at will and finished like the 5-star guard Kentucky thought they recruited out of high school. However, it was his defensive effort that stuck out. He guarded Kentucky’s makeshift point guard and former Razorback, Jaxson Robinson, with Tyler Ulis-quality tenacity. He showed more defensive intensity in the first 10 minutes of the game than he did all last season at Kentucky.

Arkansas played out of their minds because of course they did

In total, Wagner, Thiero, and Big Z combined for 52 out of the team’s 89 points. For the math gurus out there, that means former Kentucky players made up nearly 60 percent of Arkansas’s total points, a team that doesn’t score the ball well. Coming into the game against Kentucky, they were averaging just 64.3 points per game in SEC play. They bested that average by 25 points against the ‘Cats.

If it weren’t so frustrating, it would be poetic. Three former players choosing to follow the coach who abandoned Kentucky for Arkansas, overcoming the emotions of the moment, and each unleashing one of the best games of their careers should be the plot of a made-for-TV Hallmark movie, not real life.

And yet, the basketball gods are cruel and unusual creatures. Somewhere, all the naysayers begging Kentucky to cheer Cal in his return to Rupp are sipping on I-told-you-so champaign. Did the booing propel the three former Kentucky players to such a stellar performance? Maybe. Probably not. My guess is that their motivation for revenge didn’t need help from Big Blue Nation. I just wish current Kentucky could have met them with the same level of sustained energy.

This loss isn’t the end of the world when it comes to NCAA Tournament seeding, but it is one that DJ Wagner, Adou Thiero, and Zvonimir Ivisic will be telling their grandkids about one day. For Kentucky fans, it was a story of poetic injustice they wish never would have unfolded in the first place.