“I don’t know, actually, is the answer,” Mark Pope said when asked why Kentucky looked so out of it. And honestly, the Wildcats also looked like they had no answers….for Auburn’s dominance throughout the game, falling hard, 94-78. It was their worst home loss of the season, a real gut punch considering they had won 14 of their 16 games at Rupp before this. Pope looked just as lost as his team when the big question was thrown his way.
When a reporter asked him about the lack of energy, Pope didn’t have much of an answer. Instead, he owned up to it. “I would love to make excuses on that. You know that ultimately falls on my shoulders and credit goes to Auburn also. They’re a good team, and they made really hard shots tonight, and their switching was a de-energizer for us. We didn’t respond to it well at all.”
A lot went wrong for Kentucky in this one. Pope pointed to ‘a whole slew of excuses’– everything from rotation changes to the quick turnaround from Wednesday’s game at Oklahoma, plus all the fouls and monitor reviews throwing off the flow. And not to forget the emotional hit of losing Jaxson Robinson for the season.
But even with all that? The real problem was Auburn just came out scorching hot and never looked back. They led by double digits for the entire second half, making Kentucky look like an afterthought. Miles Kelly dropped 17 points and drilled five threes in the first hald like it was nothing.
Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope watches his players during their game against the Louisville Cardinals on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024 at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky.
By the time the Wildcats blinked, Auburn was up 49-34 at halftime. While Auburn splashed threes at a 46.2% clip, Kentucky shot a brutal 23.5% from deep. And for a team that prides itself on being one of the best three-point shooting squads in the country? That’s a disaster.
Pope was pretty honest about it. “The only time we had any flow in the game was when we had some pace, and we just gave up on a pace game. We gave up on it full court,” he said. While he blamed himself for most of the part, he added that he can’t tell how many times the team grabbed a rebound and then they were frozen there. “That’s the exact opposite of the team that we are,” he emphasised.
And he wasn’t wrong. Kentucky has been an offensive powerhouse all season.
The Wildcats did have some bright spots. Amari Williams locked down Johni Broome, holding him to just nine points on 3-9 shooting. But that didn’t even matter because Kelly erupted for 30, Chad Baker-Mazara added 22, and Tahaad Pettiford poured in 21. Kentucky couldn’t stop anyone.
Otega Oweh couldn’t get anything going either, playing just 20 minutes due to foul trouble. Williams, on the other hand, put in work—dropping 13 points, grabbing 14 boards, and dishing seven assists. Solid numbers, but not nearly enough to make up for everything else going wrong.
Koby Brea was cooking. He scored 21 points on 7-11 shooting and knocked down four of his seven threes. If there’s any silver lining, it’s that getting Brea hot could be huge for Kentucky when the NCAA Tournament rolls around. But that’s about it when it comes to positives.
If the Wildcats want any shot at making a real run in March, they have to clean that up. Simple as that. And the head coach does believe his squad had it in it.
Mark Pope believes in this team, promises a strong comeback
After the game, Pope tried to lighten the mood, telling that he planned to burn his suit when he got home. “I know today was brutal. I feel it. You feel it. We’re all probably gonna go home and burn all of our clothes. That’s fine.”
But jokes aside, he knows this team needs to bounce back. Kentucky only has two more regular-season games—Senior Night against LSU and then a road test at No. 14 Missouri. That’s it. Two chances to get things right before the SEC Tournament and the madness of March begins.
Pope made it clear: he and his team won’t run from this. He acknowledged that they played badly, that they missed a huge opportunity, and that there will be tough conversations in the next few days. But he’s not losing faith.
Nov 22, 2024; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope reacts to the action during the second half against the Jackson State Tigers at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images
He reminded everyone that they’re still 4-3 against the top five ranked teams in the country. “We have great stuff here coming up, like, this team is going to come back with a vengeance on Tuesday night,” he promised.
So, hang on, BBN, brighter days are ahead!
Now, UK has no choice but to prove him right. They’ve got a couple of days for some honest talks, and then it’s back to Rupp Arena for the final home game of the season. Let’s see if they can bring that fire Mark Pope promised!
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