After Kentucky basketball’s last-second defeat against Auburn on Saturday night, things were brief, sweet, and tight at Neville Arena.
There were several factors that contributed to the Wildcats’ 75-74 loss to the Tigers. In the wake, most supporters in the UK will immediately think of the word “controversial.”
Let’s get right to the end. Mark Pope’s squad had possession of the ball beneath Auburn’s basket with 14.3 seconds remaining, leading 74-73. The inbounds pass was to be delivered by senior guard Otega Oweh, who finished the game with a career-high 29 points. Across the court, four more Wildcats were sprayed in an attempt to catch the ball.
In order to get the ball, sophomore Collin Chandler scampered over to Oweh and attempted to get past Auburn junior Kevin Overton. Two free throws were probably going to follow. Rather, Chandler was called for an offensive foul, giving the Tigers the ball and an opportunity to win.
That they did.
With fewer than two seconds remaining, sophomore Elyjah Freeman made the game-winning tip-in on Auburn’s third shot attempt on the subsequent possession, causing the Wildcats to suffer their third consecutive defeat.
Chandler was called for a dubious foul. Overton and he were holding hands. Chandler used both arms to push away. From the back, Overton snatched Chandler’s jersey. Overton was defeated with little resistance. This is all accurate. True as well?
Pope’s news conference, which started shortly after the game concluded and lasted less than four minutes, included strong language alluding to the end-of-game sequence.
Pope started, “Well, we’re not permitted to discuss the referees.” However, you all witnessed it. Additionally, I believe that it can be very personal at times. I’m not permitted to discuss the refs. I will refrain from discussing the refs. Pope tried to think of other phrases to express that idea. It is regrettable that… It’s just unfortunate.
Following the defeat, which was the first time the UK had lost three straight games under Pope’s leadership, Pope was questioned a minute later about the message he would give his players in light of the situation.
“We will not cede power to anyone who are not part of our agenda. “Refuse,” Pope said. “We refuse to cede control to fans or anybody else connected to this game, despite of how obviously people are attempting to prevent this from happening. We refuse to give them our power, regardless of how personal or terrible it might get. That’s what I discussed.
We’re not ceding our authority. We’re not. We don’t make excuses, you know. Regardless of what is going on or how shameful things are, we don’t do that. We don’t cede our authority. We refuse to cede our control, no matter how humiliating, intimate, terrible, or otherwise unpleasant things are.
Pope let go even more when he left the podium and returned to the interior of Neville Arena, where the Cats have already dropped four of their last five games. Pope told UK athletics director Mitch Barnhart, who was present at the game, “Mitch, if those mother-fers try to fine me, screw ’em.” “Because I kept quiet about their deception of us.”
UK basketball came undone in late loss at Auburn
Pope’s harsh statements were interspersed with standard coach jargon. Pope discussed how the UK won the game despite Chandler receiving a single foul call. He brought up the importance of UK’s upcoming game, which is Tuesday night against South Carolina, and the fact that it is the team’s most likely victory out of its remaining four regular season games. Additionally, he stated that his Wildcats had complete control over whether they win or lose basketball games, which may be the ultimate coach’s dictum.
Regardless of how Kentucky basketball fans may feel about Saturday’s pivotal refereeing call, the game exposed many harsh realities about the Wildcats’ on-court performance.
Oweh had a career scoring night, but UK failed to take advantage of it for the second consecutive game. In Tuesday’s home defeat against Georgia, he scored 28 points, tying his career high. He improved on Saturday, scoring 29 points, assisting on three baskets, and tied for the team lead in rebounds with seven.
UK went back to its icy distance-shooting ways after making 12 3-pointers against Georgia, the Cats’ finest performance from a distance in SEC action. Kentucky finished 6 for 23 (26.1%) from beyond the arc against Auburn, which had the worst 3-point shooting defense in the SEC going into Saturday.
Another issue was turnovers. With 14, the Wildcats recorded the second-highest total in SEC play and the third-highest of the season. In all three of its recent losses, Kentucky has been outscored in points off turnovers. On takeaways, Florida and Georgia each outscored the UK by 13 points. Auburn seized a 17-10 lead in points off turnovers. Chandler missed his final five 3-point attempts of the game and committed five turnovers, which was a career-high.
with depth are also making a comeback. Pope’s program has just nine healthy scholarship players left for the ninth consecutive game. When rookie guard Jasper Johnson didn’t play in the second half, that effectively turned into eight. The Wildcats were outscored by six points during Johnson’s brief two-minute stint on the field in the first half.
Despite the amount of work expected of them, the Cats who are playing might just need to perform better. With 17:53 remaining, UK took a 46-37 lead over Auburn. During the next 11:42 of play, UK only managed two field goals as the Tigers fought back.
We were exhausted on the floor. In his postgame radio interview, Pope told UK journalist Tom Leach, “It’s something we’ve been trying to monitor.” Our attack relies heavily on movement, tempo, and the subsequent phase of play. It was simply exhaustion. A few other men were able to step up and play a few more minutes for us. Simply put, it was exhaustion from attempting to function on the court.
Kentucky basketball faces daunting late-season stretch
Pope said it was “hard for us” in the second half of Saturday’s match, when the UK shot 36.7% from the field and scored 25 of its 35 points from Oweh (17) and an injured Denzel Aberdeen (eight). More of the same is anticipated in the UK’s remaining regular season schedule.
On Tuesday, Kentucky will travel to South Carolina for a relative softball game. The Gamecocks are now 3-11 in SEC play and 12-15 overall, but they just defeated Mississippi State at home on Saturday. That one will be predicted to be won by the Cats. Good luck after that.
UK plays defending national champion Florida in a Senior Day showcase at Rupp Arena, Texas A&M, and Vanderbilt at home to wrap off the regular season. The top four teams in the SEC standings, which entitles them to a double bye in the SEC Tournament, are now two games ahead of the UK. This comes a week after the UK was vying for the top spot in the SEC.
The season for Kentucky has been in a shambles before. The nonconference was one of the disappointments. SEC play’s dreadful start. This loss at Vanderbilt, which was caught between signs of life, was devastating for generations. Once more, Kentucky will need to get off the mat.
“We still have control over it. Regarding what comes next, Pope informed Leach, “It is within our power.” Therefore, it might be difficult, annoying, and even drive you insane. The problem is that we have power over winning and losing. Tonight, we were one play short. If we make one more play, we can win this game even if we take this exact scenario, every single detail of it, and every single one of the incredibly terrible, upsetting people that were connected to it. Thus, we have control over it, and this game will always be that way.
