The Kentucky Wildcats’ trip to Baton Rouge was supposed to be an opportunity. An opportunity to find their rhythm again, to build their team chemistry better, especially after the loss they suffered recently. Instead, what fans saw was a team struggling to keep up with a much lower-ranked team. And while they escaped with a narrow win thanks to Malachi Moreno, their uneven performance only fueled lingering doubts.

For their fifth conference game of the 2025-26 NCAA season, the Wildcats locked horns with the LSU Tigers. But what was supposed to be an easy win quickly slipped into familiar territory for Kentucky fans.

The warning signs showed up almost immediately, as their offense opened the night flat and disconnected. The Wildcats delivered an ice-cold first half at the Food City Center, and the Tigers made sure to take full advantage of it. By the time the first-half buzzers sounded, the Tigers already built a 16-point lead.

That early collapse dug a hole Kentucky has struggled to escape all season. They trailed by as many as 18 points during the game, tying the largest comeback of the Mark Pope era. The Wildcats entered the game shorthanded once again, playing without their star guard Jaland Lowe, who was recently ruled out for the season following shoulder surgery. With him sidelined, Pope has leaned heavily on freshmen in high-pressure SEC games.

Still being winless in the conference, the Tigers controlled the game for more than 36 minutes and had multiple chances to put it away. Kentucky didn’t take its first lead until the final four minutes. The game was clearly in the bag of the Tigers as they went on to secure one point lead at 74-73, but Malachi Moreno’s buzzer-beating jump shot flipped the script and sealed a dramatic victory for the Wildcats.

“We have to credit LSU. They’re a terrific defensive team. They’ve been a comeback team in their first three games,” coach Mark Pope said in a post-game interview.

“And they switched a lot, they are long. They’re physical,  and they are athletic, and that really hurt us in the first half. We were pretty stymied. Our movement was poor, our response to the physicality of the game was poor, our guys did a great job in the second half responding and engaging… Our guys were much more forceful in the second half, and it was a change, and credit our guys for responding that way”, he further added.

Escape on the scoreboard, unrest everywhere else

While Malachi Moreno’s shot spared Kentucky an outright disaster, it did little to change how much of Big Blue Nation felt afterward. If anything, the narrow escape against a winless SEC opponent only amplified existing frustrations.

One fan bluntly summed up the mood, writing, “Pope knows his job got saved for 2 more weeks lmao.” Another reaction cut even deeper, pointing to the optics of the celebration itself: “Flipping off our student section after beating the worst team in the SEC, the Kentucky standard.”

But all these frustrations didn’t just suddenly surface after one close win or one ugly half. They have been building up since the opening night, precisely because of what this season was supposed to represent.

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Kentucky didn’t just reset its roster under Mark Pope; it rebranded its ambitions. With a massive $22 million NIL war chest and a roster assembled to fix last year’s defensive and identity issues, the expectation from them was sky-high. But game after game, the Wildcats have left their supporters disappointed.

Furthermore, another fan focused less on the moment and more on what it took to get there. “Congratulations! It took a last second shot to beat the worst team in the SEC! I’m embarrassed how far we have fallen,” one fan posted. While another joked, “ESPN gave us the L as soon as he hit the shot 😂 10-6 to 10-7 🤦🏻‍♂️ #BBN.”

This win improves the Kentucky Wildcats to 11–6 overall and 2–2 in conference play. But it still does very little to settle the growing concerns about their identity. After losing high-volume shooters like Koby Brea and Kerr Kriisa, Kentucky’s new core has struggled to compensate. With the primary transfer group hovering around 33% from beyond the arc and 48% from the field goal.

While this comeback qualifies as a Quad 1 victory and a much-needed boost in the standings, it’s still far from reassuring.

“It’s still fire Mark Pope. Terrible hire to begin with,” one fan added.

For their next game, the Wildcats will play against the No. 24-ranked Tennessee Volunteers. A game predicted to be in favor of the Vols. But if Mark Pope wants to change the sentiments among the fans regarding his team, winning games like this will be his best opportunity.