Kentucky head coach Mark Pope let his frustration be heard during (and after) his postgame press conference following the Wildcats’ last-second loss to Auburn on Saturday night in Alabama.
The Tigers snapped a five-game losing streak with a 75-74 win over Kentucky on Saturday. The Wildcats were called for 19 fouls during the contest, but perhaps the biggest one came in the game’s final 20 seconds. Auburn’s Tahaad Pettiford made two free throws to cut Kentucky’s lead to just one point, 74-73, with 14 seconds left, and Kentucky’s Collin Chandler was called for a foul as the Wildcats tried to inbound the ball. That ultimately led to the Tigers’ game-winning putback bucket with just 1.2 seconds left in the game.
Kentucky head coach Mark Pope commented on the officiating after the game, which saw 33 combined fouls for both teams.
“I’m not allowed to comment on the referees, I won’t comment on the referees,” Pope said, via AL.com on X. “…We don’t make excuses. We don’t do that. Regardless of what is happening, regardless of how disgraceful things are, we don’t give away our power. Regardless of how embarrassing, personal, awful, unacceptable things are, we refuse to give away our power.”
Pope’s in-press conference quotes got his point across, but his off-air comments that were picked up by hot microphones in the room are where things really got heated. After walking off the stage following his press conference, Pope addressed Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart.
“Mitch, if those (expletive) try to fine me, screw ’em,” Pope said. “I did not say a word about how they cheated us.”
“Mitch if those MFers try to fine me, screw them. I didn’t say a word about how they cheated us” @mikegittens 🎥pic.twitter.com/NaUIr5xuJM
Advertisement— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) February 22, 2026
More From RTI: Vanderbilt HC Mark Byington Takes Slight Jab At Officiating Following Loss Against Tennessee
Here’s a look at the foul that was called on Kentucky’s Collin Chandler that ultimately led to Auburn getting the ball back with 15 seconds on the clock.
Unbelievable.
Collin Chandler does push off, but is held prior to the inbounds pass. Neither called 95%+ of the time in the final seconds.
Officials inserting themselves, affecting the outcome. pic.twitter.com/1vrHEA4VIo
— Tristan Pharis (@TristanUda) February 22, 2026
Kentucky held the 39-35 advantage going into the halftime break, but the Tigers would outscore the Wildcats 40-35 in the final 20 minutes, including scoring the final four points of the game to win the contest.
WHAT A WILD ENDING IN AUBURN 😮
Tigers get a big win over Kentucky! pic.twitter.com/Z3l7ij2m0x
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) February 22, 2026
Kentucky has now lost three straight games since beating Tennessee on Feb. 7. The Wildcats have lost to Florida in Gainesville, fallen to Georgia in Lexington, and lost at Auburn on Saturday night. Kentucky will close the season with games at South Carolina, against Vanderbilt, at Texas A&M, and against Florida.
The Tigers, meanwhile, snapped their five-game losing streak with the victory. Auburn had previously lost to Tennessee, Alabama, Vanderbilt, Arkansas, and Mississippi State in straight games. The Tigers will close their season with games at Oklahoma, against Ole Miss, against LSU, and at Alabama.
Hours before this one tipped off in Auburn, AL, the Tennessee Volunteers picked up a big ranked win with a victory over No. 19 Vanderbilt in Nashville. Tennessee came out as the 69-65 winners thanks to a complete team performance with some big moments from some of the Vols’ role players.
For more on how Tennessee got it done in its in-state rivalry matchup on Saturday, click here.
