KENTUCKY 3RD BIG SCHOOL TO DROP ONE TO LITTLE GUYS: Once is an accident. Twice is a coincidence. Three times is a trend.

Like fellow big boys Michigan State and Ohio State, college basketball power Kentucky was upset by a smaller school. Fortunately, it wasn’t a Division II program. Unfortunately, this loss counts.Gardner-Webb shocked the 20th-ranked Wildcats in Rupp Arena Wednesday night, 84-68 - a bigger margin than Grand Valley State’s double-OT triumph over the Spartans and Findlay’s 2-point victory over the Buckeyes.

But this was no exhibition. The Runnin’ Bulldogs ran all over the constant crown jewel of the SEC, as the Wildcats could get no closer than 7 points to GWU throughout the night.Next stop for Gardner-Webb: Madison Square Garden. The win over Kentucky sends the pride & joy of Boiling Springs, NC, to New York, for the semifinals of the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic.

Speaking of boiling, could new ‘Cats coach Billy Gillispie be in hot water already?