Kentucky players looked stunned after a late offensive foul was called on Collin Chandler. (Vicky Graff Photo)
Just when you think an unpredictable Kentucky season cannot get any crazier, it does.
For the second straight game, Kentucky blew a nine-point lead and lost. This time it was 75-74 at Auburn in a game that might finally have broken Big Blue hearts for the last time this season.
Kentucky overcame a 66-60 deficit in the final four minutes to take a 72-71 lead on an Otega Oweh dunk with 48 seconds to play after a Brandon Garrison steal. Denzel Aberdeen hit two free throws with 18.8 seconds left after the Cats got a stop to make it 74-71.
Auburn’s Thomas Pettiford drove into Aberdeen with 14 seconds left, drew a foul and hit two free throws. After an Auburn timeout, UK guard Collin Chandler was called for an offensive foul on the inbounds pass for pushing off to get open. He was a slight push at best of an Auburn player who had his arm draped around Chandler. Kentucky coach Mark Pope leaped in the air in disbelief but there is no monitor review of a common foul.
That gave Auburn a chance to win and it did on a follow shot with 1.2 seconds left after UK stopped the first shot. This time there was no LSU miracle as Malachi Moreno fumbled the contested inbounds pass from Chandler and Auburn got a CONTROVERSIAL win.
WVLK radio personality Larry Glover was infuriated by the call and blasted the officials on his postgame radio show with former UK All-American Kenny Walker.
“How can a professional referee blow that call? It was clearly a flop,” Glover said. “Middle school referees would not have missed that call. That was clearly a flop. And a flop is a technical foul. The referees were clearly influenced by the home crowd, and we see it and they clearly were (influenced) tonight.”
Kentucky coach Mark Pope refrained from saying a lot when asked about the play during his postgame press conference.
“We are not allowed to talk about the referees. But you guys saw it. Sometimes I think it feels personal,” Pope said. “So I am not allowed to comment on the referees. I won’t call out the referees. It was unfortunate. It didn’t cost us the game. We were in control of the game.”
That’s the coach speak you can expect as few coaches will say what they really want to at a press conference.
Pope didn’t offer any more on the UK Radio Network postgame show with Tom Leach.
“We don’t talk about officiating. We just have to find a way to win games. That’s what that is,” Pope said.
However, Kentucky Sports Radio beat writer Jack Pilgrim had a post on X that was more insightful based on what he heard Pope tell UK athletics director Mitch Barnhart in the hallway leaving the press conference.
“If those ?!?!? try to fine me, they can’t. I didn’t say a word about how they cheated us,” Pope said according to Pilgrim.
Oweh, who had a career-high 29 points after getting 28 in Tuesday’s loss to Georgia, was hoping to make the inbounds pass to Chandler when the offensive foul was called.
“It was really unfortunate. We were playing a certain way the whole game. The refs even said they were going to let us play,” Oweh said. “A play like that was slow developing. He (Chandler) didn’t do a whole lot. It was a weird whistle. but even with that call, we could have won if we just got that board.”
Bingo. Just avoid getting up a second shot after the Cats forced a missed shot and Kentucky still wins. That’s on Kentucky, not the officials.
Pope did emphasize that point.
“We are in control. It does not matter how frustrated fans or other people are. We are still in control. It can be frustrating and be driving you crazy, but we are in control. We just needed to make one more play,” Pope said.
12 Responses
Rebound the basketball instead of Auburn at the end..As far as the call , It was a crap call. But you continue to lose leads in games as well.. Nobody has cheated UK this year worse than UK
The foul called on Chandler at the end of the game was a bullshit call; he was being held and Philon flopped. The 4 second half turnovers Chandler made did have an impact on the game; going 1-6 from the arc didn't help us either. Garrison letting his man run free for a layup hurt too; so did him standing watching Auburn's last basket being made after 2 attempts…he watched it happen 1 foot away and never went for either rebounds. Johnson walked the ball across the halfcourt line only to loose it for an Auburn layup. Dioubate going 1-5 from the field hurt. We did enough to lose the game without the home cooking we got served. Good teams win games in February; bad teams don't…loosing 3 in a row in February qualifies us as a bad team and we still have 4 games to go and are only favored to win one. This results in 4 consecutive seasons with double digit losses…2 from Calipari, 2 from Pope. The only other time that has happened was Tubby's last 2 seasons combined with Billy Clyde's 2 seasons. I like Pope and had high hopes for him, but he has failed his mid-term and final. It matters little that you understand the assignment if you fail the test. I don't think another season will get any better. Tubby and Calipari did the honorable thing and left; Billy Clyde had to be fired. Will Pope do the honorable thing or will he insist on making us become the next "Indiana"? Barnhart will not fire him even though that is what needs to happen. Kentucky needs a coach, not a cheerleader to get this program back on track.
Maybe Barnhart should threaten to leave the SEC to get the commissioner to straighten the refs out.
Kentucky has become the SEC's whipping boy. Beat Kentucky and get an invite to the Big Dance. It makes me wonder if the SEC office is calling for Kentucky to lose just to get more league teams in the tournament?
Oweh and Aberdeen have completely lost confidence in the rest of the team to make a basket. Did that finally affect Chandler's poor game yesterday? Moreno, Jelavic, and Noah need to get more shots but we no longer run an offense…we are playing hero ball and hoping for the best.
I have fortunately been able to go through this season without much expectation, it has been good for my health.
This team has several good players, but there is not a great player to be found. As a matter of fact, there is not a player on this team that could start for one of the top 10 teams; maybe not even a top 20 team. Oweh is good, but he is a long way from great. He's mediocre at the free throw line and 3 point line because he is not consistent. He is one of the worst finishers at the rim on the team. He was last year and is no better this year. He is not even close to being SEC player of the year. I love his effort, but that doesn't score points. As for the rest of the team, several players are just truly disappointments because of a lack of effort. Garrison should be and can be a beast when he wants to. Others are playing out of position because of necessity and it shows. Put Lowe on this team from day 1 and it would be completely different.
Looking back, the only thing I think I would have done differently is gone Small Ball. I would have been playing Johnson much more than Jelavic. His ceiling in much, much higher. He is a better ball handler and better shooter. Doesn't have the size, but Jelavic doesn't bring a lot to the table. Garrison and Dioubate don't bring anymore than Jelavic and that is truly disappointing, so starting either of them is out of the question.
Overall, the biggest downfalls for this team is just a complete lack of consistency in any facet of the game and a lack of desire from several players, as well.
Pope needs a g.m. but is reluctant to get one.. Thats on him. Over spending on some and under spending on others. Get a guy who only deals with that crap and doesn't coach. This is the landscape of the game now and UK is woefully behind the curve already. Swallow your effing pride and hire someone already.
You may be right, but where is the proof of needing a GM? Who, and I mean this seriously, who is doing so much better than UK with a GM? How many of the top 20 teams have a GM? I don't know these answers, but I don't want to base my decision without answers to those questions.
And don't purchase flimsy ass point guards
Our bigs are really nothing more than average by any comparison. None of them are good enough to even average double digits a game and they lack talent and physicality. Trent/Noah 1-8 on 3's. Are you kidding me. We still have the same problem week after week. We can't work the ball inside with consistency. We have no one that can shoot a mid-range with consistency. Our interior defense is very porous. Not sure if Pope or Chandler deserves the L, but I will give it to Pope bc he has earned the other 9. The stage is still too big for him, and it would be great if he would pull a Stoops.
Pope said Trent Noah was the best shooter in college basketball. Noah is 3 for 13 in the last three months but texted yesterday that “As long as the outcome is the income” ? So as long as he’s cashing checks he’s happy? He’s there because he’s a home town boy. Cal didn’t want him but Pope thought it would help with his “It’s all about the name on the front of the jersey! BS!! That’s wasted money on Him and several other that’s laughing their asses off since they got 22 million to be the joke of College Basketball! It’s time to send that Hick back to the eastern Ky sticks, Noah, Garrison and several other jokers and Pope too! Clean house at the end of the season that’s coming soon!
Well I guess that I'm not giving up on this team I know they are flawed BUT THEY ARE WHAT WE HAVE…SO all of the knit picking ain't doing anybody no good, hopefully these players don't read all of these posts, it's starting to sound like asob and ksr around here stop being cry babies and start supporting BIG BLUE!!! or else switch to supporting Tennessee….. That's all I have to say about this……
Pope has abandoned the concept of playing team ball and will win or lose based on what Oweh, Aberdeen, and Chandler can do. The offense is based on those 3 playing hero ball. He is completely ignoring the talents of Jelavic, Noah, and Moreno. Johnson has offensive skills but is a total liability on defense. Garrison and Dioubate play way too much and they play hero ball as well.
A good coach would be getting 45 points and 25 rebounds from the Moreno/Jelavic/Noah trio but that would detract from Oweh's and Aberdeen's drive to be a first round NBA pick.