KSR's five reasons not to panic about Kentucky's 102-97 loss to No. 4 Alabama

Mark Pope‘s undefeated run both inside Rupp Arena and against top-15 competition came to an end with No. 4 Alabama in town, Kentucky falling in a get-your-popcorn-and-enjoy kind of game in Lexington. You had two of the best offenses in basketball going at it to combine for 199 total points with 12 total players scoring in double figures, the Crimson Tide scoring an absurd 1.308 points per possession and the Wildcats right behind at 1.276.

The track meet just didn’t favor the home team, Nate Oats beating Pope in the head-to-head battle of offensive masterminds by a score of 102-97. It was a loss that dropped UK to 14-4 (3-2) on the year and 6-4 in Quad 1 matchups, the Cats now 5-1 against teams ranked inside the top 15.

This loss had a different feel from the previous three, though. It was pretty easy to feel deflated leaving the Clemson, Ohio State and Georgia games away from home — Kentucky got out-toughed and outworked with questions of resolve and fight, taking punches without throwing many back. Against Alabama, you couldn’t help but leave appreciating two excellent basketball teams exchanging blows for 40 minutes, only one able to come out on top.

KSR’s got five reasons why you shouldn’t panic about Pope’s first home loss as the head coach in Lexington.

Mark Pope hates losing as much as you do

Pope was crushed when he arrived at the podium after the loss, admitting he’d be ‘a much better postgame guy four hours from now’ as he looked to digest the performance and move on. His answers were thoughtful, but short and full of disappointment.

“We fought, didn’t execute as well as we would like to,” Pope said. “Losing is the worst.”

Then he came out for radio and shared a similar message — down personally, but uplifting for Big Blue Nation as the fanbase looked for hope leaving Rupp Arena.

“Our job is to win every game,” he said. “Our job at Kentucky is to win every single game. On the games where we fall short, we just have to double down on our effort to get better and learn from it and grow.”

His team gave up 102 points at home and now ranks No. 87 nationally in defensive efficiency. He addressed that. Alabama was the best offensive rebounding team in the country in its last five games and Kentucky allowed 15 leading to 15 second-chance points. He addressed that. The Tide shot 39 percent from three and took 34 free throws. He addressed that, too.

“When you do those things, it makes it a really tough package to get a win. That’s like the trifecta,” Pope said. “… Those are areas where if we’re going to play well, if we’re going to win in really, really high-level games, we have to be better in those areas.”

The things you’re upset about, Pope is too.

Alabama is a Final Four contender (and needed this one)

We all had the same thought watching the Crimson Tide take a double-digit home loss on Tuesday, right before their trip to Lexington. Going 0-2 on the week in league play is a no-go if you’re wanting to separate yourself with the margins razor-thin atop the SEC. You celebrate 2-0, live with 1-1, lose sleep over 0-2. Oats promised his team would bounce back knowing the latter was on the line, and to his credit, they did.

Alabama has Final Four aspirations once again after earning the program’s first a year ago, bringing back the SEC Player of the Year while loading up with depth and talent elsewhere. Ranked No. 1 in scoring offense and tempo, plus No. 3 in efficiency, there aren’t many offenses more dangerous. If anything, we just saw the two best compete on the Rupp Arena hardwood, Kentucky now No. 2 in offensive efficiency and scoring.

The kicker? The Tide entered the matchup ranked No. 275 nationally in three-point efficiency making 10.0 shots on 31.2 attempts per contest. They were getting the volume, but not hitting at the rate Oats was looking for — and due. That’s how, even against the No. 11 three-point defense in the country, they managed to hit 13 of 34 attempts (38.2% 3PT) with five players making multiple threes.

Kentucky won the efficiency battle (40.7% 3PT), but didn’t win the volume war (11-27) to send the Final Four contender home with a loss.

Kentucky has the week off to get healthy

Kerr Kriisa has been out since December 7 with a broken foot and remains out indefinitely for the Cats. Meanwhile, Lamont Butler was a game-time decision with a shoulder injury — among the countless other bumps and bruises he took in the Texas A&M win, including a kick to the face — and Andrew Carr continues to deal with a nagging back injury. Travis Perry and Ansley Almonor have stepped up in spot minutes off the bench for Kentucky, but there is no denying just how crucial this bye week is for the team with no games until the trip to Nashville next Saturday to take on Vanderbilt.

“We have to take advantage of it and everybody’s got one. Ours is probably coming at the best time for us in terms of finding a pathway to a little better health for our guys,” Pope said. “… To be fresh and for our guys to get fresh and to get healthy is going to be probably key number one.”

Grant Nelson absolutely torched the Wildcats, Carr taking an individual beating. The mustachioed forward dropped a high-major career-high 25 points after combining for 21 his last three games, attacking Kentucky’s versatile four man on every touch. They’ve got to get him right, just as Butler needs time to heal — and who knows about Kriisa, but it will be at least one week closer to his return by the time the Cats take the floor again.

Otega Oweh and Lamont Butler are on the team

Kentucky got to 97 points somehow, and the team’s two most consistent players night in and night out happened to lead the charge once again. Oweh finished with 21 points on 8-14 shooting while adding six rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block. The man has not had a game in single figures with four 20-point efforts and 11 with at least 15. Nate Oats called him Mr. Consistency before the game for a reason, Oweh single-handily keeping the Wildcats in it in key stretches of the game, fighting for momentum-shifting plays in transition and big shots.

As for Butler, who took the beating of all beatings against A&M and could have sat this one out to rest up, he was second on the team with 17 points on 6-14 shooting with eight assists, four rebounds, two blocks one steal and just one turnover in 32 minutes.

They’re both tough as nails and represent the blue and white as well as any players have in recent memory. You always have a chance with Oweh and Butler on the floor, and they’re the top reasons Kentucky did against one of the best teams in basketball on Saturday.

Kentucky ‘left so much on the table’ and still scored 97 against a top-five team

The Wildcats finished with their sixth-best scoring performance of the season with seven players finishing in double figures and shooting splits of 48/41/80. They won the turnover battle (+2), had more second-chance (plus-five), bench (plus-10) and fastbreak points (plus-six), five more blocks and three more steals. Kentucky did a lot right against a team who can and likely will compete for a national championship.

Yet there was so much more to give and so much left on the table limiting Pope’s group from pulling it off.

“We can be so much better, I think that’s the biggest thing,” he said. “Listen, Alabama is a terrific team. They are a great team and it’s not taking anything away from Alabama when I say that. We left so much on the table. There is so much room for us to grow. There are so many spaces where we can get better.”

And he’s exactly right. This group doesn’t need to keep proving itself on the big stage — that’s the value of starting 5-0 in top-15 matchups with three top-10 wins. The respect is already earned, and, despite the loss, I think Kentucky earned more of it by nearly pulling it off in a game it didn’t play its best against a top dog in the best league in college basketball.