Transcript
Matt Jones (0:00)
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Billy Rutledge (0:30)
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Because we lost the TV feed. I was told there was a pretty significant issue outside of Rupp next to the television truck that caused it to lose all power. So that is why the game was not on the last 12 minutes. I can't remember there ever being a UK game in the last 25 years where you just weren't able to watch it. You know, you would think that wouldn't happen, but I guess they lost all power and tried to do other things and just weren't able to do it. So so but maybe a blessing in disguise because Kentucky I think when the power went out was down what, 18 and we ended up losing by by 16. You know, let's start. There's like four or five different things to throw in here. Number one, Auburn's really good so just start. I Will start with that. They are really, really good. You know, Joan Broom did not even have that big a game and they still were dominant. The Kelly kid got nine threes, which is the fourth most threes ever made in a game by an opposing player in rup. Know two of them were banked back to back, which is how, I mean, I knew at that moment we were losing. You probably did as well. But you know, they were great. They are really, really, really good offensively, like historically good offensively when it comes to efficiency. And then defensively I think they're really good too. And they had a great game plan tonight. They basically said, you know, we're gonna play everything outside the three point line and good luck finishing at the rim. And we were bad at it. And, and I honestly think this game was lost. Well, it was lost in two phases. Phase one was when we made our first substitutions in the first half. And then phase two was the last two minutes of the first half and the first four minutes, the second half. Really there were two phases and Auburn was great in those phases. Soon as we went to the bench at the beginning, took the start, took a couple of the starters out, brought in a couple guys off the bench, they just took advantage. And even though they hit some contested looks, our offense, our offense just grinds to a halt, unfortunately when we get to the bench. And then in the start of the second half, it was our starters and six turnovers before you even get a field goal attempt up. That's. That might be a record. That, that may be, that may be as poor of three minutes of offense as you'll ever see a group of good players play. Couldn't even, couldn't even dribble the basketball. Turnovers that led to buckets. 18 turnovers for Kentucky today, so just a really poor. Those two phases of the game are why we lost. I mean, it was 7 to 6 when they made the sub and then all of a sudden it was 21 to 8. And then I think it was what, like a 12, 13 point game at halftime. And it got up to 22 quickly. And you know, those two runs, you're just not going to overcome it. So those, to me, number one, Auburn's really good. Number two, we had two terrible phases. Third, you know, some of this is Auburn, the way they're playing defense. But you know, if you had told me at the beginning of the season we're going to have a game where we only make four threes, I might have predicted a score like this. This is just not A team. Kentucky is not a team this year that is going to beat anybody going to the basket. We're just not that you can get buckets going to the basket, but like if your offensive game plan is we're going to score at the rim, we're just not good at it, like away and Butler just can't consistently finish. We had four straight possessions that I counted, basically possessions that were back to the basket shots. And while we hit some of those against Oklahoma, I just don't know. I mean there's. The least efficient shot in basketball is a post up. That's one of the misnomers is that people think next to a long to the least efficient shot you can do is, is a, is a post up and our guys aren't great at it. And we had, I think Williams missed a couple, then Carr missed one or two. That was at the end of the first half. Our offensive game plan, it just didn't work. I mean, I don't know. I mean part of that is Auburn, Auburn was not going to let us get threes. But we've got to figure out an answer to that because these teams that are pressuring us on the outside and daring us to win at the rim, we're just not. We missed by my count before the TV broadcast went off six shots at the rim. Again, if you want to beat the number one team in America, you can't do that. We made four threes, they made 12. Okay, you give up 24 points on the three point line, you're not going to win. Then you throw in 18 turnovers, you're not going to win. So, you know, Mark Pope said on this show, at the early on the postgame show right before this said that we offered almost no defensive resistance and we're not able to do anything offensively. I mean, he's right. We now the defensive resistance, we haven't offered much this year, but offensively that was not a good performance for the first 28 minutes. Now again, I didn't get to see the last 12. Looks like they got a little better. But still you're down so much at that point. You know what, what difference does it make? Also Jackson Robinson is now out for the year. Pope announced afterwards he's going to have surgery Wednesday. I'd actually heard they were going to maybe send him to one more specialist on Monday or Tuesday. We talked about that on the pregame show in New York. A wrist specialist to see if he could. Basically they wanted to see can he play this year and get the Surgery at the end of the year, and I guess it's been decided even before going to see the specialist that he can't. So they're going to have. He's going to have surgery Wednesday. I wish the kid the best. I really liked him. I like him as a player. I think he's exactly what Kentucky needs. They just. He can get his own shot and we just don't have. He may be the only player that can get his own shot consistently as a. With a three. Butler and away can beat guys off the bounce sometimes, but Robinson can get open, shake and get. Get a jumper and make it, and we just not going to have that right now. So I hate it for him, but I also hate it for the team. I think I said at the beginning of the year that I thought for us to be great, he needed to be our best player. There were a handful of games where he was, but we don't have him. So now you got to look at the tournament and go, okay, we're not going to have him. Now what? And my look at it is this. We got. Without Jackson Robinson, I think we got five guys that are really good, okay? I think our starting five, which is Butler, away Brea Williams and Carr, is a NCAA tournament elite eight level starting five. The problem is that without Kirk Risa and without Jackson Robinson, our bench is not good. Our bench had five points tonight, okay? Our bench made one field goal tonight. And I don't say this like I think all those kids, they have a role, but then when they. They're being asked to step into a bigger role than was envisioned for them. And you know, I think Ansley Almanor can get you bucket sometimes. I think Brandon Garrison could have good games like he did against Oklahoma. I think there are moments that Noah Perry and Chandler in the right situation can give you spot minutes. That can work. But to me, we got five guys who can play against teams like Auburn at an elite level, and we're probably in the tournament. Just going to have to roll with them. And it is what it is. I mean, to Pope's credit, he did some of that tonight. I mean, Bray had played 38 minutes. So, you know, there's a part of me, Billy, that goes this notion that, like, you're at maximum efficiency. He played Bray at 38 minutes, so clearly he knew that there's times you have to do that. Right?