Kentucky lose ugly, winning game in Auburn as Caliparis discontent grows

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Shanna Lockwood / AU Athletics

Shanna Lockwood / AU Athletics

“We left one behind on the road.” That’s something John Calipari was right about on Saturday.

Days after letting Alabama drain 14 three-pointers, it effectively took the shot from the SEC’s second-best three-point shooting team, but it still wasn’t enough to leave Auburn Arena with a win. The Wildcats have now lost to Auburn for the fourth time in five years after the 66-59 loss dropped the UK to 4-8. There hasn’t been a Kentucky team with a worse record in 12 games since Adolph Rupp became head coach of the Cats.

The loss at Auburn is more infuriating than the previous seven for several reasons and John Calipari only made matters worse in his post-game press conference. Before we get there, here’s how it all went.

Hideous first half

“Ugly” cannot summarize the first half precisely enough. The score was 2-2 at the first media timeout. Kentucky missed its first six shots. Auburn started 1 in 15 from the ground. Both teams didn’t miss a bunch of contested shots; neither of them could make a layup. Thankfully Dontaie Allen and Jacob Toppin entered the lineup and gave the UK something offensive, taking a 9-2 advantage in the 11th minute. It all started with a categorical finish to the rim by Allen.

Kentucky had a chance to get away with the game early on, but failed to find an attacking rhythm. At least they found out who could provide the points, even if that wasn’t enough to win the second half of the minutes.

Where’s Allen and Toppin?

That’s the question BBN was asking when neither of the players, who each led the Cats with eight points in the first half, was on hardwood at the start of the second half. It took Toppin over four minutes to get into the game and Allen over six minutes to get playing time. Why weren’t they playing?

“I want to win every game I coach, but on the other side, I’m not trying to take anyone’s heart,” Calipari said, “so you can caption them after three, four minutes and off you go. “

They only had a few minutes at a time. Allen came cold for the last minute of the game, finishing with eight half seconds as the only player with a +/- positive in the final 20 minutes.

BJ Boston: still not good

At the start of the season, BBN’s fascination with Dontaie Allen seemed to stem from his status as a Home State hero. While the head coach may think he still is, fans now want him to play because he is one of the few players who can actually take shots. The frustration is magnified when BJ Boston is the reason Allen is on the sidelines.

Boston scored five points, scoring just 2 of 9 goals in 27 minutes of action. It’s not that he just doesn’t help – Boston hurts the team when he’s on the ground. He committed five turnovers, including two in the most important part of the game. It is one thing to give a player a long lead. All that extra loosening of the Boston leash is choking the rest of the team.

Turning

Despite the Wildcats’ mediocre play, they led one with ten minutes to go and seemed to be making their way to victory. Then the officials fell for the flop most flop since Chris Jones set the standard for terrible flops in 2015.

It’s safe to say Mintz wasn’t happy with the call, sharing this with his Instagram story after the game.

The game has been reviewed for a flagrant foul. Unlike targeting in college football, officials cannot forego an ill-advised foul. Sharife Cooper’s play gave Auburn the ball and started a 16-5 run over the next five minutes, fueled by transition points after a few turnovers from Boston. Despite a late push, this race turned out to be a game changer.

One last impressive push

While Boston will draw the wrath of most fans, Olivier Sarr was also a big part of the problem. Sarr was under -15, the team’s worst, and uninteresting in the job as the Tigers captured 16 offensive rebounds. Once Boston and Sarr were taken out, Kentucky pushed almost enough to win.

Led by ten points with five minutes to go, the Wildcats turned defense into offense. A few blocks led to transition layups for Mintz and Askew to cut the deficit. With a minute to go, Toppin but a BODY on an Auburn defender. Sadly, the meanest Wildcat dunk of the season wasn’t called And One, but it still made it a two-point game.

Despite surrendering a layup to Cooper on the next possession, Kentucky had another chance. Askew made his first free throw, then missed the second. The rebound was corralled by Keion Brooks. Instead of whistling a foul on one of Auburn’s two defenders who invaded the UK’s second year, officials called for a jump ball. Possession went to Auburn, the Tigers made their free throws and finished the game.

A harsh reality

Kentucky is unlikely to participate in the NCAA tournament. It’s a tough pill to swallow, but it’s the reality we have to come to terms with after Auburn’s defeat.

Even though the UK have struggled at Auburn Arena for the past five years, the Tigers are not a great basketball team. It was only their second SEC victory of the season. Every owner of advanced statistics has called this game a toss. It was a game Kentucky needed to win, they were able to win and failed to complete the job. John Calipari deserves all the blame for this loss.

Next week’s schedule will make life easier for the Wildcats. After that, four top 25 teams wait. This team has done nothing to convince us that they can beat good teams and their head coach has done nothing to suggest that he will make any big changes to ensure that the UK does not miss the NCAA tournament.



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