It was supposed to be a golden example of the calibre of Carleton Ravens men’s basketball. Instead, it was the program’s worst loss in nearly 60 years.
The Ravens lost 118-56 to the University of Kentucky Wildcats on Aug. 13 at the Baha Mar resort in the Bahamas, an all-time drubbing that exposed the youth and inexperience of an injury-plagued Carleton roster.
The 62-point defeat ties the worst loss in Ravens history across pre-season, regular season and playoff games. Carleton lost 110-48 to the NYS Teachers College in 1966, the only other time the team has lost by 62 or more points.
Neil Armstrong had yet to set foot on the moon. Elvis Presley had yet to marry Priscilla Beaulieu. The Beatles had only just released “Eleanor Rigby” and “Yellow Submarine.”
The loss to Kentucky follows defeats to Northeastern University and Florida State University earlier this month. With stars Lloyd Pandi and Alain Louis going pro this offseason, along with injuries and eligibility issues faced by more experienced players, Carleton’s roster is overwhelmingly young.
Grant Shephard, who was ineligible to play due to course load issues, is the only player in his fourth year on the roster. Aiden Warnholtz, Quincy Louis-Jeune and Connor Vreeken are the only active players in their third year of eligibility. Guard Elliot Bailey is currently sidelined with a ruptured spleen. Eleven players on the 17-man roster are in their first year of eligibility.
“Do I think we could’ve done better? Yeah,” head coach Taffe Charles said. “But at the end of the day, you start that many rookies, that many redshirt freshmen, and you’re gonna have that situation with a top-five school.”
Kentucky, led by National Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe, was a No. 2 seed entering 2022 March Madness. The Wildcats last made it to the Elite Eight in 2019 and the Final Four in 2015.
Kentucky’s skill was on display early. After Carleton guard Marjok Okado sank a jumper to tie the game 4-4, the Wildcats went on a 19-2 run and were up 55-19 at the half. The Ravens didn’t get their first three-pointer until almost 16 minutes into the game, despite 11 attempts.
“They’re really well coached and they’re solid and sound, so we just came out and played hard,” Kentucky associate head coach K.T. Turner said. “I think we have a chance to be really, really good this year.”
The collapse continued in the second half. Kentucky went up 113-44—a 69-point lead, its largest of the game. Carleton committed 28 turnovers and shot only 25.8 per cent from the field in the first half.
“Losing by X amount of points, it’s still one loss. You don’t get two losses for it,” Charles said. “It doesn’t really matter how much you lose by. It’s about how you take it and where you’re gonna go from here.”
Warnholtz led the Ravens with 16 points but committed 11 turnovers. Okado scored 12 points and Vreeken had 11.
Charles said the players learned a lot from the loss, including the need to communicate better on the court and what it takes mentality-wise to beat a top-level team.
“We’re gonna be fine,” he said. “[We] just gotta make sure that we, again, don’t get too wrapped up into what people are saying, don’t get wrapped up into what people’s expectations are and what people write about on Twitter and all kinds of nonsense like that. It doesn’t really matter.”
The Ravens’ stint against NCAA competition concluded on Aug. 23 with another loss at Ravens Nest against the Oregon Ducks. Charles said people shouldn’t make conclusions about the team until the end of the season.
“You judge us at the end of it,” Charles said. “I think we’ll be much better for it.”
Featured image by Chet White
