Kentucky suffered its third straight defeat Saturday, falling 75–74 at Auburn in a game that ended in controversy. Head coach Mark Pope was visibly upset about a decisive foul called against the Wildcats late in the contest, a decision that ultimately set up Auburn’s game-winning score by Elyjah Freeman. Although Pope avoided directly criticizing officials during his postgame press conference, he was later caught on a hot mic angrily accusing them and the conference of unfairness.
His frustration centered on a call with 14.3 seconds remaining. Kentucky, ahead by one point, was inbounding under its own basket when play was stopped and Collin Chandler was whistled for an offensive foul after pushing Kevin Overton to create space. While Chandler clearly extended his arms, there was also contact from Overton, who had an arm around Chandler’s back something that might have been ruled a holding foul instead.
Speaking carefully to reporters earlier, Pope declined to blame referees outright, noting he wasn’t permitted to discuss them but hinting the situation felt personal. He insisted the call did not decide the outcome and said his team would focus on improving rather than making excuses.
After the foul gave Auburn possession, KeShawn Murphy missed a close shot, but Freeman grabbed the rebound and tipped it in with 1.1 seconds left, putting the Tigers ahead for good.
Pope emphasized that his team would not let outside factors dictate their mindset, repeatedly stressing they wouldn’t surrender control or rely on excuses regardless of circumstances. The loss dropped Kentucky to 17–10, a disappointing turn for a squad once viewed as a strong national title contender and now projected as a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
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