Mark Pope was not a happy Cat Wednesday night. (Vicky Graff Photo)
Kentucky hasn’t been known for its 3-point shooting this season, but there have been some memorable moments produced by the Wildcats as the program celebrates the 50th anniversary of Rupp Arena.
Senior guard Otega Oweh provided a memorable moment when he connected on a 3-pointer from behind the arc on the opposite end of the court, a trey measuring nearly 74 feet, as time expired at the end of the first half, giving the Wildcats life after trailing by seven to Missouri.
Despite the long-distance three that helped the Wildcats overcome another sluggish start, Kentucky dropped its second straight Southeastern Conference encounter with a disappointing 73-68 loss to Missouri on Wednesday night.
Oweh finished with 20 points, the fourth time in the past six games he’s eclipsed the 20-point plateau, but it wasn’t enough to defeat the gritty Tigers, who overcame an eight-point deficit in the final four minutes to notch their first win at Rupp Arena.
The loss left the Wildcats (9-6, 0-2) in a “hard space” in Mark Pope’s second season at Kentucky and searching for answers. Winless in the SEC one week into the league schedule, Pope hasn’t lost hope in his squad.
“It’s a hard space,” he said. “This is tough. It’s not the way we intended to start SEC and really is exactly what we have in our hands right now. When you go through a hard time, which everybody does, the question is, how much does it take to break you? I’m not about to break. This group’s not about to break. We’re no place there.”
Largely behind preseason Player of the Year Oweh, the Wildcats were able to provide some bright moments against the Tigers. In one sequence in the second half, Oweh fed Brandon Garrison with an alley-oop assist for a slam, and then Garrison returned the favor with an assist to Oweh on a 3-pointer as part of a 6-0 run that gave Kentucky its largest lead of the game at 66-58 with 4:34 remaining.
From that point on, it was all Missouri as the Tigers (12-3, 2-0) outscored the hosts 8-0 in the final 1:14 and scored 15 of the last 17 points to secure a memorable victory.
“I thought our guys came to try to compete the best they could,” Pope said. “Our execution down the stretch was poor. You have to be able to execute better to win games.”
Missouri coach Dennis Gates dedicated the program’s first-ever win at Rupp Arena to former Wildcats assistant coach Leonard Hamilton. Gates served as an assistant coach under Hamilton at Florida State.
“(I) had a long conversation with Leonard Hamilton (Tuesday) night,” Gates said. “Obviously, we know who he is around these parts. (He) gave me some great wisdom. He’s an unbelievable mentor to me. This game was dedicated to him.”
Behind his team’s steady play and Kentucky’s inability to execute when it mattered, Gates and the Tigers made history of their own.
“We call it a fire drill when we get under the two-minute mark with out-of-bounds plays and things like that,” Gates said. “We didn’t turn the ball over, and that’s the part that won the game for us.”
In an effort to jumpstart his squad after a 89-74 loss at No. 13 Alabama last Saturday, Pope revamped his lineup and started Jaland Lowe and Jayden Quaintance for the first time this season.
Lowe finished with nine points and four assists, while Quaintance had one point and four rebounds.
* * *
Gametracker: Mississippi State at Kentucky, 8:30 p.m., Saturday. TV/Radio: SECN, UK Radio Network.
Kentucky-Missouri Basketball
Photos by Vicky Graff
7 Responses
What a Train Wreck!! Has UK basketball ever been at lower point? We are still the biggest BUST in D-1. Our Bigs SUCK. We have no interior offense or defense or anyone that can consistently hit a mid-range jumper. We had 10 pts the first 10 mins of the game and 2 the last 4…GAME. Pope has lost the team if he ever had them, and we have to have a replacement at end of season if not sooner.
Mike, you have accurately described the state of Kentucky men's basketball. We may have already become the NEXT Indiana.
Mike, who would that replacement be? If anyone wanted the job
before last season, Pope wouldn't be there. No qualified D1 coach
wants the job.
I think Pearl has flirted with the thought of accepting if offered in the past, and I do think he has 1 more run in him. Who would really be more qualified than him? I would also be ok with Pitino but Barney's misfires may cost us more than one might think. I don't see any way for Pope to recover from this. He has to know he hasn't met BBN's expectations and not sure he has met his.
Mike, think you are right about Pope. I don't like Pearl, but he has wanted
the Ky job in the past, not sure about the present. I would be ok with him,.
or Pitino. I believe either one would have this team ranked in the top 5.
Really hate that Pope is having problems. Am still rooting for him.
I think a lot of us wanted to see Pope successful and appreciated what he did last year and the fact that he was one of us but something has happened this year. He still seems very tentative and unsure, and a lot of us feel he is too soft. The team seems to mirror that softness in their play and just collectively don't show that winning mentality. I haven't always liked some of his personality traits but he e always connects with players and gets their buy-in.
CBS Sports calls Kentucky one of the biggest disappointments in CBB, gives Pope a D-grade. It is what it is.
Comments are closed.