Kentucky Stumbles as No. 1 Auburn Hands Wildcats a Crushing 94-78 Defeat
LEXINGTON, Ky. — The excitement inside Rupp Arena was palpable on Saturday as No. 1 Auburn rolled into town. It marked only the sixth time in history that the Kentucky Wildcats had the opportunity to take on the nation’s top-ranked team on their home court.
The Wildcats (19-10, 8-8 SEC) had proven they could handle underdog status before—pulling off wins over Tennessee, Duke, and Florida earlier this season. But this time, Coach Mark Pope’s squad suffered one of their most deflating losses of the 2024-25 campaign, falling 94-78 in a game that was out of reach early.
Jaxson Robinson’s Season Ends with Injury
Before the game even tipped off, Kentucky suffered a major blow as Pope announced that Jaxson Robinson would miss the rest of the season with a right wrist injury, abruptly ending the college career of one of the Wildcats’ best players.
By the time Pope took the podium for his postgame press conference, he had processed the devastating injury news, but he was still searching for answers about what went wrong on the court.
Auburn’s Offensive Firestorm Overwhelms Kentucky
The troubles started early for Kentucky. After Otega Oweh cut Auburn’s lead to 7-6 with two free throws, the Tigers erupted on a 12-0 run in just 58 seconds—an offensive outburst that left the home crowd stunned.
Miles Kelly was on fire, banking in back-to-back 3-pointers to push Auburn’s lead into double digits just five minutes into the game. As Kelly ran back down the court, he flashed a Michael Jordan-esque shrug, a fitting display of confidence in what would become a career night for him.
Auburn entered the game boasting the most efficient offense in KenPom history (dating back to 1996-97), and Kentucky had no answer.
“We certainly didn’t ring the bell schematically,” Pope admitted. “Individually, we didn’t. We’ve actually been making strides, but we regressed a little tonight.”
Oweh Silenced, Wildcats Stumble
Oweh, who had carried Kentucky to a win at Oklahoma earlier in the week by scoring the final 18 points of that game, was neutralized on Saturday. The junior picked up three first-half fouls, played just 20 minutes, and finished with only four points on three shot attempts—by far his worst outing in a Wildcats uniform.
With Robinson out, Oweh struggling, and Lamont Butler still dealing with a shoulder injury, Kentucky found itself trailing 52-37 at halftime. The Wildcats had overcome big deficits before—most notably a 16-point halftime comeback against Gonzaga in December—but there was no magic in Rupp Arena this time.
Second Half Seals Kentucky’s Fate
Kentucky’s second-half start was disastrous. The Wildcats committed six turnovers in the first three minutes, including five in a span of 61 seconds—many of them unforced errors.
“It was really unfortunate,” Pope said. “It was more a manifestation of the stress we were feeling. Feeling sped up. We were just dribbling the ball out of bounds.”
Even as Kentucky strung together some defensive stops, Auburn’s lead only grew to 18 points, keeping the Rupp Arena crowd from ever truly getting back into the game.
“It definitely gets to you a little bit,” said Andrew Carr. “They kept adding on, and it affected the way we were playing. You sit down at a timeout, and they only outscored us by three points in that stretch, but it feels a lot different because you know you missed an opportunity.”
Auburn Stars Shine, Wildcats Left Searching for Answers
Kelly torched Kentucky for 30 points, going 9-for-14 from three-point range. Chad Baker-Mazara added 22 points, and Tahaad Pettiford chipped in 21.
Even though Johni Broome—a National Player of the Year candidate—was held to just nine points and six rebounds, Auburn’s depth and relentless offense kept the game out of reach.
Despite Auburn’s starting point guard Denver Jones playing only eight minutes due to injury, Kentucky never came close to making a second-half push. The Tigers never let their lead dip below 13 points.
What’s Next for Kentucky?
With just two regular-season games left—LSU at home on Tuesday and a trip to No. 14 Missouri next Saturday—Kentucky needs to regroup quickly before heading into SEC Tournament play.
Pope remained steadfast in his belief that his team can bounce back, but Saturday’s loss was a stark reminder of the inconsistency that has plagued the Wildcats all season.
“It’s not a lack of desire,” Pope said. “It was a cocktail of energy miscues, being sped up, and some incredible shot-making from Auburn. And all of that put together resulted in a really, really terrible day for us.”
