QUICK TAKES: Kentucky vs. Auburn
Kentucky's TyTy Washington was helped off the court after rolling an ankle with 8:21 remaining in the first half. (Jake Krandall/USA Today Sports)
Jeff Drummond • CatsIllustrated
Managing Editor Edit
@JDrumUK
In our regular postgame feature, the Cats Illustrated staff offers its first impressions from Kentucky's 80-71 loss to No. 2 Auburn on Saturday.
JUSTIN ROWLAND:
Kentucky is going to need to win some resume-building games as we get closer to March Madness, and I think this would have been one if TyTy Washington hadn't gone out. Either one of these teams could be in the Final Four. They didn't dominate the glass like they normally did and minus one of their core players, on the road against No. 2, it's just a predictable outcome. We saw how important Washington was in this game. He's the most well-rounded, balanced player they have outside of Oscar Tshiebwe. I don't think you could feel any worse about the team after today but I get the frustration at the missed opportunity.
TRAVIS GRAF:
It feels like deja vu writing about this game shortly after writing about the LSU game. Kentucky was absolutely rolling in the first half before TyTy Washington went out with an injury, then Sahvir Wheeler missed some time later in the game. Still, the Cats fought and I don’t take anything negative away from this game as a whole. The one facet that worries me is Kentucky’s defense, which game allowed Auburn to shoot just under 60%. A good chunk of that offense came off of pick and roll looks getting downhill towards Oscar. The Tigers also had a top-three pick in the upcoming NBA draft, Jabari Smith, and there were a couple of plays that he made that made your jaw drop. We’re probably having a different discussion if TyTy doesn’t go down, but that’s a part of the game. Without him on the floor, the Cats don’t have anyone who can create their own offense.
DAVID SISK:
Auburn is very good. I would rank them No. 1 in the country, and their home environment was tremendous. But Kentucky was up 25-16 when TyTy Washington went out with an ankle injury at the 8:20 mark of the first half. From there, the Tigers outscored the visiting Wildcats 64-46. Granted, Auburn was better than UK in a lot of areas, but they simply didn’t have enough shot creators available against a physical, handsy defense with Washington out. But play on the other end can’t be blamed on Washington’s absence. Auburn shot 56.8% and torched Kentucky when they spread the floor and got UK into the ball screen with Walker Kessler. Calipari talks about the process, and he’s correct. Games like this only make you better. However, they better be fast learners with Mississippi State coming to town Tuesday and a road trip to Phog Allen coming up in exactly one week.
JEFF DRUMMOND:
This one is somewhat difficult to gauge due to Kentucky losing TyTy Washington for most of the game after rolling an ankle and losing Sahvir Wheeler after taking another shot to the head on a hard screen. If those guys are healthy and play the whole game, this looks like a battle that can go either way on the final possession. I think Auburn played mostly to its advanced billing -- even though future lottery pick Jabari Smith was probably just good rather than great -- and Kentucky showed that it belongs in the same conversation with the Tigers. Will the poll voters and the rest of the country see it that way? Remains to be seen. But I like the Cats' chances if they can earn a rematch on a neutral floor with their whole squad healthy.
