Three takeaways from Kentucky basketball’s loss to top-ranked Auburn at Rupp Arena
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Game day: No. 1 Auburn 94, No. 17 Kentucky 78
Click below for more of the Herald-Leader and Kentucky.com’s coverage of Saturday’s men’s basketball game between Kentucky and Auburn in Rupp Arena.
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Three takeaways from Auburn basketball’s 94-78 victory over Kentucky on Saturday at Rupp Arena.
1. Auburn played like the No. 1 team in the nation
Auburn’s national player of the year candidate Johni Broome scored all of one point in the first 20 minutes. The former Morehead State star entered the afternoon averaging 18.8 points per game, yet missed all five of his first-half shots form the floor. He was a meager 1-for-3 from the foul line. He grabbed four rebounds but had zero assists.
Auburn led 49-34 anyway. Georgia Tech transfer Miles Kelly scored 14 of Auburn’s first 19 points. He finished the half with 17 points. Chad Baker-Mazara scored 16. Auburn shot 50% from the floor. That included a 7-for-16 showing from 3-point range. And little reason to doubt why Bruce Pearl’s club is atop the SEC standings and the AP Top 25.
By game’s end, Kelly had made nine of 14 shots from 3-point land on his way to 30 points. Baker-Mazara finished with 22. Freshman Tahaad Pettiford came off the bench to score 21. Broome wound up with nine points.
“We knew we had to make shots against Kentucky,” Pearl said. “Miles Kelly made a couple of bad shots go in.”
Auburn shot 54.2% in the second half and 51.8% for the game. The Tigers were 12-for-26 from 3-point territory to snap a 20-game losing streak at Rupp Arena. And at 15-1, the Tigers clinched at least a tie for the regular-season SEC title.
“Auburn played great basketball tonight,” UK coach Mark Pope said. “Auburn has played great basketball all season long.”
2. Kentucky did not play like a ranked team
There was a definite buzz at a packed Rupp leading up to the tipoff. After all, it’s not every game that the nation’s top-ranked team comes to town. And it’s not that often that Kentucky, as an underdog, has a chance to knock off the nation’s No. 1 team.
Unfortunately, the Cats didn’t meet the moment. Right from the start. A 12-0 run helped propel Auburn to an early 21-8 lead. Kentucky never got closer than six points in the first half. The Cats trailed by double digits the entire second half.
After his spectacular 28-point performance at Oklahoma, UK’s Otega Oweh was never a factor Saturday. He picked up his third foul with five minutes to go in the first half. He picked up his fourth with 15:59 left in the second half. The Cats’ leading scorer on the season finished with four points, just the second game in UK’s 29 that he failed to reach double figures. Those two have come in the Cats’ last three games.
Kentucky committed 10 turnovers in the first half and season-high 18 for the game. That included five consecutive turnovers early in the second half. Center Amari Williams turned it over six times. Point guard Lamont Butler was charged with five turnovers.
“It was really unfortunate,” Pope said. “It was more of a manifestation of the stress we were feeling, because we were really sped up.”
The Cats were also 4-for-17 from 3-point range. And all four of the made 3s belonged to Koby Brea, who was 4-for-7 from beyond the arc. His teammates were 0-for-10.
“Taking the three away from Kentucky is important,” Pearl said. “Coach Pope runs the best five-out (offense) in college basketball.”
3. It is officially March
For Kentucky, this is the not way you want to end the most important month of the year. Losing by 16 points on your home floor — even to the No. 1 team in the AP Top 25 — is not the way to build momentum.
There are but two regular-season games left. LSU comes to Rupp for the home finale on Tuesday night. Then Kentucky travels to Missouri next Saturday to take on a tough Tigers team on their home floor.
Jaxson Robinson sat out Saturday’s game after his wrist did not respond well to playing 12 minutes the first half on Wednesday night at Oklahoma. Pope announced that Robinson needs surgery and will miss the rest of the season.
And the SEC Tournament starts March 12. The Cats are currently 8-8 in league play and fighting to avoid having to play a first-round game on Wednesday.
More importantly, Pope’s club needs to get past Saturday’s loss, figure out what went wrong, and right the ship in a hurry. After all, it’s March.
This story was originally published March 1, 2025 at 4:36 PM.
