Shanna Lockwood / AU Athletics
Shanna Lockwood / AU Athletics
“We slipped one on the way.” That’s one thing John Calipari was right about on Saturday.
Days after Alabama drained 14 three-pointers, it took away the shot from the SEC’s second-best three-point shooting team, but it was still not enough to leave Auburn Arena with a win. The Wildcats now lost to Auburn for the fourth time in five years after losing 66-59 UK to 4-8. There has not been a Kentucky team with a worse record through twelve games since Adolph Rupp became the Cats’ head coach.
The loss at Auburn is for some reason more furious than the previous seven, and John Calipari only made it worse in his post-match press conference. Before we get to that, this is how it all unfolded.
Awful first half
“Ugly” can not sum up the first half completely accurately. The score was 2-2 during the first countdown in the media. Kentucky missed his first six shots. Auburn starts 1-of-15 from the floor. Both teams did not miss a bunch of contested shots; no one could make an essay. Luckily, Dontaie Allen and Jacob Toppin entered the line-up and gave UK something offensive and won 11-2. It all started with an emphatic finish on the edge of Allen.
Gracious, @ dontaieallen11.
After the slow start, so start your team.
? @espn – https://t.co/GB24CPM58x pic.twitter.com/ohSHSKBRbF
– Kentucky Basketball (@ KentuckyMBB) 16 January 2021
Kentucky had a chance to run away early with the game, but could not find an offensive rhythm. At least they found out who could provide points, even if it wasn’t enough to earn the second half.
Where’s Allen and Toppin?
This is the question the BBN asked when neither of the two players, who the Cats each scored with eight first halves, were on the hardwood at the start of the second half. It took more than four minutes for Toppin to enter the game and more than six for Allen to get a playing time. Why did they not play?
“I want to win every game I coach, but the other side of it is: I’m not trying to take anyone’s heart away,” Calipari said, “so you can subdue it for three or four minutes.”
They only got a few minutes at a time. Allen got cold in the last minute of the game and finished with eight second half minutes as the only player with a positive +/- over the last 20 minutes.
BJ Boston: Still not good
At the start of the season, it appears that the BBN’s fascination with Dontaie Allen is evident from his status as a home state hero. Although the head coach may feel that this is still the case, fans want him to play because he is one of the few players who can actually shoot. The frustration is heightened when BJ Boston is the reason Allen is on the sidelines.
Boston scored five points and scored just 27 of the 9 goals in 27 minutes of action. He not only helps – Boston hurts the team when he’s on the floor. He committed five turnovers, two of which were in the most important piece of the game. It’s one thing to give a player a long belt. All the extra relaxation on the Boston leash suffocates the rest of the team.
The turning point
Despite the Wildcats’ poor play, they actually led by one with ten minutes of play and seemed to have scraped their way to victory. Then officials fell for the most flop flop since Chris Jones set the standard for awful flops in 2015.
It’s a heck of a sell ?? lol pic.twitter.com/2Aos3Iw5Nn
– KY Insider (@KyInsider) 16 January 2021
It is safe to say that Mintz was not happy about the call, and shared it on his Instagram story after the game.
The play was revised for a blatant transgression. Contrary to the goal of college football, officials cannot relinquish a nuisance. Sharife Cooper’s play gave Auburn the ball and started the next five minutes 16-5, fueled by transition points from some turnover in Boston. Despite a late push, this run changed the game.
One last, impressive print
While Boston will draw the anger of most fans, Olivier Sarr was also a major part of the problem. Sarr was -15, the worst in the team, and uninspiring in the post when the Tigers grabbed 16 offensive setbacks. After Boston and Sarr were drawn, Kentucky made a push that was almost enough to win.
The Wildcats turned the defense into an attack by trailing by ten points with five minutes of play. A few blocks led to transitional layoffs for Mintz and Askew to reduce the backlog. With a minute to play, Toppin but a BODY on an Auburn defender. Unfortunately, the dirtiest Wildcat dunk of the season is not called an And One, but that still made it a two-point game.
Despite giving up an assignment to Cooper in subsequent possession, Kentucky had one more chance. Askew made his first free throw and missed the second. The setback was corrected by Keion Brooks. Instead of giving one of the two Auburn defenders who swarmed the second year of the UK an offense, officials called a springboard. Possession went to Auburn, the Tigers made their free throw and ended the game.
A harsh reality
Kentucky is unlikely to make it to the NCAA Tournament. It’s a hard pill to swallow, but it’s the reality we have to accept after the loss in Auburn.
Although the United Kingdom has struggled in the Auburn Arena for the past five years, the Tigers are not an excellent basketball team. It was just their second SEC win of the season. Every advanced stats owner calls this game a throw. It was a game Kentucky needed to win, they were in a position to win and could not complete the task. John Calipari deserves all the blame for this loss.
The scheme for next week will calm the Wildcats. After that, four top 25 teams await. This team did nothing to convince us that they can beat good teams and their head coach did nothing to suggest that he make significant changes to ensure that the UK does not miss the NCAA Tournament.