Kentucky players knew they let a potential win slip away at Texas. (Vicky Graff Photo)
The Unpredictables did it again.
Kentucky has been terrific against top 15 teams this season and was coming off an upset win over Tennessee, a top-five team, on Tuesday. However, at Texas on Saturday, the Cats got outscored 19-9 to end the game and lost 82-78.
Even with guards Lamont Butler and Jaxson Robinson out again, this loss stung because Texas was only 4-8 going into Saturday night’s game.
Kentucky has a 67-63 lead with 5 minutes, 4 seconds to play when Otega Oweh — who once again scored in double figures as he has every game this season — scored. The lead grew to 59-64 with 3:51 to play on Amari Williams’ score and with 3:11 left UK still led 70-67.
That’s when turnovers, blocked shots, missed shots and mental errors doomed the Cats who got eight points in the final 33 seconds to make the game look closer than it was.
Kentucky had 15 turnovers, including 10 in the second half, that led to 21 Texas points and only 10 assists. The Cats went 6-for-24 from 3 and Koby Brea failed to hit a 3 for the first time this season. Kentucky also missed eight free throws as Williams was only 5-for-11 at the line.
“Definitely let this one get away,” Ansley Almonor, who had 11 points and three rebounds, said. “We have to be locked in for 40 minutes, not 36. Obviously, we hate losing. We don’t want to lose but the goal is to get better every game.”
Texas had two players — Tre Johnson (32) and Mark Tramon )26) — who seemed able to score at all or at least get shots at will. Kentucky got 20 points from Oweh and 18 from Williams but the shots came a lot harder to them.
“It was a combination of Texas making some really good plays and us not,” Kentucky coach Mark Pope said.
One crucial mistake the Cats made late came when Williams, who had 12 rebounds, failed to block out on a missed Texas free throw for the second time in the second half. The Longhorns turned the miscue into points to take control of the game in the final two minutes.
“It definitely hurt us,” Almonor said on the UK Radio Network when asked about the play. “We just weren’t focused on the next play. We must have been thinking about something else except for getting that rebound. Little lapses like that can’t happen or it makes these losses happen.”
He’s right and Pope knew it. He was not unhappy with his team’s overall effort but the mental lapses and execution in the last four minutes again doomed the Cats much like they did in earlier losses to Ohio State, Georgia, Clemson, and Vanderbilt.
“We started falling to pieces when we did not get an offensive rebound late,” Pope said. “When we missed the box out on the free throw our minds were somewhere else.”
If that wasn’t bad enough, Oweh threw an inbounds pass after a UK timeout to no man’s land that led to a turnover and a 78-70 Texas lead.
“On the most crucial play we just can’t complete a simple entry pass,” Pope said. “It was just poor execution the last four minutes and some things did not go our way. Our guys played hard enough but we just didn’t execute well enough down the stretch.”
Pope kept an optimistic outlook — what else could he do — and said the “learning mistakes” can be corrected.
“I love our energy and competitiveness. Our toughness was lacking down the stretch and compounded our mistakes. That is on me as a coach. I have to find ways to keep us centered,” Pope said. “We have been insanely good at that all season. We just were not good tonight. It’s not a trend, just not a good night.”
Unfortunately, making winning plays against top 15 teams but not making the same plays or having the same focus against lower-ranked teams has been a trend and that is only compounded with Butler and Robinson both out.
Since both are likely to be out for more games, Pope and the Cats have to make do. The NCAA selection committee released preliminary tourney seedings and had the Cats as a three seed despite already having seven losses before the Texas loss. However, UK still has games with Auburn, Alabama, and Florida, all projected No. 1 seeds along with Vanderbilt, Oklahoma, and LSU.
“We are doing it with a new group and trying to bring that group along,” Pope said. “We know we can get good with the guys we have. We are still learning our guys and what we can do with this group.”
10 Responses
“The Unpredictables” will go down in UK’s history as the Name of this team. This late in the season and making mistakes like not boxing out on free throws? And bad passes after bad passes? Terrible free throw shooting? Coach was happy with their play? If Tubby was here they would still be on the floor passing the ball and shooting free throws.This team plays like the temperament of Doctor Pope. It’s like letting Arkansas come in and bitch slap them on Rupps Floor!. Nothing with the last games of this season looks any better and an early out of the tournament. I’m 70 years old and will never see the #9 championship banner hung in what few years I have left.
Players who are in their 5th college season and beyond can’t focus?
When players “learn to lose” their interest and focus wanes.
Coach Pope & his staff rapidly developed a TEAM 1st group of average & mediocre players into a powerhouse which started 10-1, with thr 1st 5 games boasting incredibly high efficiencies. The players were FOCUSED on the TEAM and made a lot of crisp passes players shoe were moving without the ball, cutting, working to get open to receive a pass &/or shoot. This dynamics began to flutter away when selfish play, sloppy play, non-energetic play, care-free play and NO FOCUS became the common theme.
Average & mediocre players were developed into a rare FF contender with the sum being greater than the individual parts. But some players lost focus and seldom get assists.
Scoring points with zero or 1 assist is NOT TEAM 1st ball – it’s ultimately loser ball.
Little Baron Thank You Sir for all the correct and true comments about this team. I have never seen a team that has regressed like no other this year, NOT playing Team Ball playing like it’s the first game where they didn’t know each other? Inexcusable not blocking out on free throws when Your Team is Behind?! Then what about that pass to No One?! By the Older Players not improving at this late of the season is so frustrating to watch, not knowing if they will show up or not each game.Its the Ones who have played multiple game’s this year and several years at other schools that’s getting us beat not the freshmen!
And thank you, Rick, for making a key point – it’s not the FR who are the problem!
We desperately need Butler and Robinson back, last 5 minutes of the game was lack of focus and these guys are veterans. It’s seems eveŕytime we maybe headed the right direction we take a step back.. Were down the stretch that we need to be more constant not keeping taken a step back.
Losing 3 KEY players in an eight man rotation is a pretty difficult hill to climb – especially if one is the “ Director of Operations “. Coach on the floor is almost as important as the one on the bench. Let’s hope for 3 weeks of healing and enough returnees to handle a 5 or 6 seed. Have the faith gents !
We have a rotation that has played very little together and it will have trouble with quick guards. Pope needs to rethink his gameplan until Robinson and Butler come back…if they come back. We need to play more 2-3 and 1-3-1 zone. We need to become an inside first offense that focuses on lobs to the bigs and isolation for Williams and Carr to work to the basket. We need to stop trying to make difficult passes on back cuts that ultimately become turnovers. We need to practice rebounding..everyone. Our guards need to make sure we have the ball before they take off for a quick basket. And yes, we need to spend more time practicing freethrows. If we had shot 90% instead of 71% we would have won the game. It’s difficult to make changes this time of the year, but if we don’t, we will have a losing SEC record. If everyone commits to working on these things, we could win 3, maybe 4 of our last 6 games. Every win matters now for seeding. There is no guarantee that Butler or Robinson will be back. Now is the time for Pope to show what kind of coach he can be by making some kind of adjustment. Playing like we did last night MIGHT win 2 of our last 6 games. If we can win 4 of our last 6 games that should be good enough for a 4 or 5 seed in the Big Dance. Go CATS!!!
Yes, Adjustments are definitely needed to get the much needed Wins. The defense really needs a new approach and the offense needs practice together (with more new primary players).
Injuries injuries injuries is the reason for all this! I bet Pope wished he would have given that last scholarship to a point guard! Lol remember this year fellas! This will be the worst year of the Pope era! We’ve had good times and bad times but a team can’t win down there top 3 ball handlers its just not going to happen! Perry can’t save the day (just yet) but he’s getting closer! Noah will be fighting for minutes with Jasper Johnson next year and the competition will be very close! Without injuries we would easily be like 9-3 in the sec! A healthy Kentucky is better than Florida! And on the same level as Alabama and Auburn! They are a little deeper but both coaches have the exact guys that fit there system! Pope had 2 months to assemble a roster from scratch and he’s doing a great job! Barring injuries! Like I said if we were fully healthy we would be near maybe even at the top of the SEC standings this is the same Kentucky team that beat Duke and Gonzaga! I wouldnt play Butler until is almost 100% Almonor and Noah have played there butts off! Carr isn’t 100% either there is a big difference from how he was playing before his injury until now! I’d say he’s 75%. That’s the difference in the season and during sec play not to mention the sec is the greatest conference ever this year! And I still think we would be near the top barring injuries! If we win over 24 games and make it to the sweet 16 this year will be a success given the circumstances! I guarantee we do better every year until he wins a championship which I think will be in the next 2-4 years! Go Cats!
All observations are in the money 👍