The Loss to Auburn was the Worst Kentucky Loss in March in Rupp Arena History

History was made in the worst way on Saturday. The calendar turned to March when Auburn beat the brakes off the Kentucky Wildcats.

Kentucky did not make a field goal during a 10-minute stretch at the end of the first half and into the second. The Cats started the second half with six turnovers in six possessions. Kentucky committed 18 turnovers, the most in a game since 2021. It was the fewest three-point attempts (17) and makes (4) by the Wildcats this season.

That recipe resulted in disaster, a 94-78 loss to Auburn. It is the worst regular season loss in March in Rupp Arena history.

Double-Digit Kentucky Losses in March

Since Rupp Arena opened for the 1976-77 season, Kentucky has suffered 11 double-digit regular season losses in the month of March. Before Saturday, only one of those was at Rupp. The Cats lost to Florida before the Gators won their first of two National Championships back in 2006. I don’t think many would be surprised if this Auburn team cut down the nets in San Antonio. They are currently the favorite to win the National Championship at +330.

Losing big late in the season does not mean a team cannot go on a deep NCAA Tournament run. Of the previous nine teams who were eligible for postseason play, four of them would advance to the Elite Eight after suffering a double-digit loss late in the regular season. “The Shot” and “The Dream Game” happened after Kentucky took a bad late-season loss.

Year	Team	Score	Margin	Season Result
2025	Auburn	94-78	16	TBD
2019	at Tennessee	71-52	19	Elite Eight
2018	at Florida	80-67	13	Sweet 16
2014	at Florida	84-65	19	National Runner-Up
2013	at Georgia	72-62	10	NIT
2013	at Arkansas	73-60	13	NIT
2007	at Florida	85-72	13	Second Round
2006	Florida	79-64	15	Second Round
1992	at Florida	79-62	17	Elite Eight
1990	at Notre Dame	80-67	13	Postseason Ban
1983	at LSU	74-60	14	Elite Eight

A Piece of Positive History

Amari Williams continues to post incredible numbers, what Zack Geoghegan recently described as “weirdly historic.” He posted his tenth double-double of the season. That’s nothing unusual. Williams is hitting historic checkpoints because of his ability to distribute the ball.

According to Corey Price, he’s the first Kentucky basketball player to have 13 points, 14 rebounds, and seven assists in a single game. That dates back to 1983-84 when assists became an official statistic. He’s the only D-I player since 2004-05 to post those numbers against a team ranked No. 1.