The Kentucky Wildcats couldn’t take down the number one ranked program in college basketball, as they fell 94-78 to the Auburn Tigers in a ranked matchup at Rupp Arena. After the deflating defeat, head coach Mark Popemade something clear about Bruce Pearl’s Tigers.
The Wildcats missed a pivotal chance to shock the NCAA with a statement victory over the No. 1 program in the nation. After the loss, Kentucky fell back to a .500 SEC record, and could drop further down in the AP rankings as they were dismantled by the visiting Tigers.
While the defeat stings and will linger in Lexington, Coach Pope knows better than to cry over spilled milk. As the team shifts its focus to the next challenge, he made an honest statement about Auburn.
Right now, they are the best team in the country,” Kentucky coach Mark Pope said, per On3. “They punished us tonight, for sure.”
Pope praises Pearl and his staff
Kentucky was hoping to build off of their nail-biting victory over Oklahoma, but Auburn proved to be too much for the Wildcats to hold off at Rupp Arena. After the game, Pope credited the Tigers for their sensational performance, for which he had no answers.
It’s a real credit to their guys, to their players, and a real credit to coach [Bruce] Pearl and his staff because they do a lot of switching on the fly. There is a lot of communication on the fly.
“Auburn played great basketball tonight,” Pope added. “They’ve been playing great basketball all season long. Bruce [Pearl] has done an unbelievable job, not just assembling, but growing and fitting together the pieces on their team. So, congratulations to them.”