Kentucky basketball bench struggles, Auburn snags victory in last second

Story byThe Courier JournalKentucky basketball bench struggles, Auburn snags victory in last secondKentucky basketball bench struggles, Auburn snags victory in last secondRyan Black, Louisville Courier JournalSun, February 22, 2026 at 3:55 AM UTC·2 min read

AUBURN, AL — With just under seven minutes remaining Saturday night, it finally happened: Two makes at the free-throw line from forward Mouhamed Dioubate gave Kentucky basketball's bench eight points.

And with that, the Wildcats' reserves had more points (eight) than personal fouls (six).

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Auburn's bench wasn't dominant in that department; its group finished with 14 points.

But UK's lack of pop from its non-starters was costly for the second time in as many games, as AU rallied from a halftime deficit to earn a 75-74 victory at Neville Arena.

Feb 21, 2026; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Kentucky Wildcats center Malachi Moreno (24) takes a shot over Auburn Tigers forward Keshawn Murphy (3) during the first half at Neville Arena. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-Imagn ImagesFeb 21, 2026; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Otega Oweh (00) takes a shot over Auburn Tigers forward Keshawn Murphy (3) during the first half at Neville Arena. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-Imagn ImagesFeb 21, 2026; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Kentucky Wildcats center Malachi Moreno (24) goes up for a shot between Auburn Tigers guard Keyshawn Hall (7) and forward Keshawn Murphy (3) during the first half at Neville Arena. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-Imagn ImagesFeb 21, 2026; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Collin Chandler (5) runs a play as Auburn Tigers forward Keshawn Murphy (3) defends during the first half at Neville Arena. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-Imagn ImagesFeb 21, 2026; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Collin Chandler (5) warms up before the game against the Auburn Tigers at Neville Arena. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-Imagn ImagesFeb 21, 2026; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Trent Noah (9) warms up before the game against the Auburn Tigers at Neville Arena. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-Imagn Images1 / 6

Kentucky basketball hosts Auburn at Rupp Arena. See game day photos

Feb 21, 2026; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Kentucky Wildcats center Malachi Moreno (24) takes a shot over Auburn Tigers forward Keshawn Murphy (3) during the first half at Neville Arena. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-Imagn Images1 / 6

Kentucky basketball hosts Auburn at Rupp Arena. See game day photos

Feb 21, 2026; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Kentucky Wildcats center Malachi Moreno (24) takes a shot over Auburn Tigers forward Keshawn Murphy (3) during the first half at Neville Arena. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-Imagn Images2 / 6

Kentucky basketball hosts Auburn at Rupp Arena. See game day photos

Feb 21, 2026; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Otega Oweh (00) takes a shot over Auburn Tigers forward Keshawn Murphy (3) during the first half at Neville Arena. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-Imagn Images3 / 6

Kentucky basketball hosts Auburn at Rupp Arena. See game day photos

Feb 21, 2026; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Kentucky Wildcats center Malachi Moreno (24) goes up for a shot between Auburn Tigers guard Keyshawn Hall (7) and forward Keshawn Murphy (3) during the first half at Neville Arena. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-Imagn Images4 / 6

Kentucky basketball hosts Auburn at Rupp Arena. See game day photos

Feb 21, 2026; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Collin Chandler (5) runs a play as Auburn Tigers forward Keshawn Murphy (3) defends during the first half at Neville Arena. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-Imagn Images5 / 6

Kentucky basketball hosts Auburn at Rupp Arena. See game day photos

Feb 21, 2026; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Collin Chandler (5) warms up before the game against the Auburn Tigers at Neville Arena. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-Imagn Images6 / 6

Kentucky basketball hosts Auburn at Rupp Arena. See game day photos

Feb 21, 2026; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Trent Noah (9) warms up before the game against the Auburn Tigers at Neville Arena. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-Imagn Images

It made unwanted history for Kentucky (17-10, 8-6 SEC) and coach Mark Pope: Saturday marked the team's third straight loss. It's the first time under Pope, in his second season at his alma mater, that the program has dropped three consecutive contests.

On the other side of the coin, Auburn (15-12, 6-8) snapped a five-game losing streak under first-year coach Steven Pearl.

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In UK's most recent game before Saturday — an 86-78 setback to Georgia at Rupp Arena earlier this week — its reserves had been similarly underwhelming. UGA's bench outscored its counterparts by 21 points (29-8).

After that loss, Pope stressed the need to turn to his backups more often, specifically stressing the need for starting senior guards Otega Oweh and Denzel Aberdeen to have a breather from time to time.

For now, Pope has to grapple with a double-edged sword: Giving Oweh, Aberdeen and the rest of the starting five a breather each game is crucial ... but the lineup gives way to a quartet (Dioubate and fellow forwards Brandon Garrison and Trent Noah along with guard Jasper Johnson) that simply isn't providing much in the way of production.

Which Saturday's result reinforced in the most painful way for Pope.

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Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at [email protected] and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky basketball vs Auburn score, UK Wildcats lose in last secodn

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