Kentucky basketball suffered a heartbreaking 75-74 loss to Auburn on Saturday night, dropping the Wildcats to 17-10 on the season and placing them squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble. The Cats have been incredibly streaky all season long, and now they are on the wrong kind of streak, a 3-game losing streak.
While the controversial finish will dominate the headlines, the reality is that Kentucky's offense completely stalled out in the second half. After putting up 39 points in the first 20 minutes, the Cats managed just 35 points in the second half, suffering through multiple extended scoring droughts. Auburn is a terrible defensive team in the second half, and Kentucky just could not convert the chances they had.
During his postgame radio appearance, head coach Mark Pope pointed to one specific culprit for the offensive collapse, and it's one Pope has been saying for a week now: severe exhaustion.
Mark Pope points to fatigue for second-half offensive struggles
"We had so much fatigue on the floor, it's something we've been trying to monitor," Pope explained. "So much of our offense is based on movement and pace… it was just straight-up fatigue trying to operate. I thought our guys were good when we had energy on the floor."
The turnovers again were an issue, with Kentucky struggling all night. It was a particularly bad night for Collin Chandler who had 5 of the team's 14.
Despite the offensive struggles, Pope was highly complimentary of his team's defensive effort against a desperate Auburn squad.
"I thought our guys were dialed in… [Tahaad] Pettiford made some nice reads off ball screens," Pope said.
He also singled out Otega Oweh, who battled foul trouble all night but still managed to lead the team offensively and make several massive plays down the stretch.
"He's been brilliant. He is playing with four fouls… I thought he was brilliant in the way he executed. The guys battled, and we came up one possession short."
A message to Big Blue Nation
The loss marks Kentucky's third straight defeat, and with a brutal remaining schedule featuring trips to South Carolina and Texas A&M, panic is starting to set in among the fanbase.
When asked if this team can get back up off the mat to save their season, Pope didn't hesitate: "Yep, that's what we do."
Pope ended his press conference with a direct message regarding the upcoming matchup with South Carolina, reminding everyone that despite the frustration, Kentucky still controls its own postseason destiny.
"We have to get to work, we are in control. It doesn't matter how frustrated fans or opponents [are]… It's still in our control. It can be frustrating, it can be hard, it can drive you crazy…"
The Cats will look to channel that frustration into a desperately needed victory when they travel to Columbia Tuesday night.