Kentucky players already looking forward to potential Auburn rematch

Just minutes after falling to No. 2 Auburn on the road, Kentucky players were speaking the idea of revenge into existence.

For the second time this season, the Wildcats played the majority of a tough road environment without one of its two star guards. TyTy Washington went down with an ankle injury at the 8:20 mark of the first half against the No. 2 Tigers on Saturday. Something similar happened earlier in SEC play, when UK’s starting point guard Sahvir Wheeler sat out most of the loss against LSU after suffering an early neck injury.

Against Auburn, Washington did not return as Kentucky watched a nine-point advantage slip into a nine-point loss over the next 29 minutes. Wheeler also missed different portions of the second half after getting knocked down by multiple screens. It was an eerily familiar situation to what happened down in Baton Rouge, and the end result was the same.

But if there’s anything the Kentucky players, fans, and coaches can take solace in, it’s knowing that both games were still close down the stretch. If UK had a healthy Washington and Wheeler throughout the contests against LSU and Auburn, the final score could have looked a lot different.

Unfortunately, that’s now how the games played out, and the loss still looks the same on the schedule no matter how it happened.

“It was a winnable game. I think we should have won the game,” UK guard Kellan Grady said postgame. “But (Auburn) made more plays, crucial plays, big shots, they got a couple of rebounds at vital moments in the game.”

Kellan Grady: "You don't win a championship in January."

— Jack Pilgrim (@JackPilgrimKSR) January 22, 2022

Knowing that Kentucky was in a position to beat the No. 2 team in the country, despite the clear disadvantage, is encouraging enough for Grady. In fact, he and his teammates are already preparing for a potential rematch. Kentucky isn’t scheduled to play Auburn again during the regular season, but a showdown in the SEC Tournament is highly possible.

“We shot 50 percent from the field, so we had our opportunities,” Grady added. “We got to learn from this and we hope to see them again.”

Kentucky center Oscar Tshiebwe, who finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds against Auburn, shared the same thoughts as Grady.

“I hope we matchup against them again, probably in the SEC Tournament, when everybody will be healthy and ready to go,” Oscar Tshiebwe said postgame. “Because I don’t think they are better than us, in my opinion. I think we’re gonna beat them. I want to play them again. I want to see them.”

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Kentucky came into Auburn Arena looking like one of the best teams in the country, and that didn’t change much despite the loss on Saturday. Poor injury luck has marred the ‘Cats from showcasing just how consistently good a fully healthy UK squad can be against the nation’s best.

But regardless, this is a learning experience for Kentucky. Everything won’t always fall in UK’s favor, and learning to adapt and overcome those challenges is all part of the process. It’s better to play out these scenarios now so the team can be better prepared when the spring rolls around.

“You don’t win a championship in January,” Grady said.”…We want to be our best in March.”