“Mitch, if those ***** try to fine me, they can’t. I didn’t say a word about how they cheated us,” were Mark Pope’s exact words to Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart for the officials, following his team’s defeat to Auburn. This comment eventually echoed louder than the Wildcats’ 74-75 defeat at the Neville Arena, as the SEC fined Pope $25,000. Now, a star Kentucky guard has shared his two cents on Pope’s punishment by the conference.

Speaking in an interview following a win in the next game against South Carolina, senior guard Denzel Aberdeen was asked if he would contribute to Pope $25,000 fine. In response, Aberdeen said, “No, not at all.”

The center of the controversy unfolded in the dying moments of the game. It was during this sequence of play when an offensive foul was called on Kentucky guard Collin Chandler for pushing an Auburn defender. Seemingly, Chandler touched the Auburn player, but the extent of the push and its motive are subjective and debatable.

This foul during the inbounds with just 13 seconds remaining in the game helped the Auburn Tigers get possession. And Steven Pearl capitalized on this decision perfectly and tilted the match in their favor with a layup from Elyjah Freeman. The Wildcats’ head coach wasn’t at all content with the decision.

He initially showcased a bit of frustration in the post-game press conference. “We’re not allowed to talk about the referees, but you guys saw it. It’s just super personal,” Pope said. “I won’t comment on the referees. It’s unfortunate, just unfortunate.”

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However, just a few moments later, Pope struck back with that comment to Barnhart. And the SEC didn’t hesitate to step in with a hefty punishment as Pope’s actions violated the SEC Bylaw 10.5.3 and the SEC Commissioner’s Regulation regarding Public Criticism of Officials. It quietly reflected the SEC’s strong stance against officials and against public criticism by players, coaches, or teams.

Pope’s instances with officials this season aren’t something new. The Kentucky head coach has been involved in several on-court feuds with officials throughout this season. But Mark Pope’s actions in the Auburn game weren’t justifiable either. The enormity of a tough or contact on the court is generally up to the officials to interpret. It can go either way for a team, and Pope was immensely unfortunate that it went against Kentucky in a game where they were aspiring to win at any cost.

Despite being regarded as a $20M roster, Kentucky bagged its third straight loss in the Auburn game. They were in desperate need of some W’s, which they hopefully started with the South Carolina game on Tuesday. The Wildcats won the game 72-63, led by Aberdeen’s 19 points and 5 assists.

Mark Pope Heaps Praise on Denzel Aberdeen Following a Defining Performance Against South Carolina

Amid a career season, Denzel Aberdeen pulled out yet another trick out of his hat on Tuesday. The Kentucky Wildcats guard showed immaculate precision from the deep, scoring 3 of 4 from the perimeter. Notably, all three of these three-pointers came in the first half and tilted the game towards Kentucky right away. Head coach Mark Pope knows it quite well that it was Aberdeen’s brilliance that helped his team clinch.

“We kind of felt as a staff that DA was due for a game,” Pope said in the post-game press conference. “He’s just been a little quieter, and he actually bailed us out. He was terrific in shot making, and he was really solid defensively for the whole night, and had a terrific game.”

The Gamecocks faced several hurdles on the court. Cold shooting, with 8 of 29 from the deep, and inconsistency on the boards cost South Carolina big time in the season.

With this win over South Carolina, the Kentucky Wildcats stand 18-10 and 9-6 in the conference for now. They have three regular-season games. No. 25 Vanderbilt follows on February 28, followed by an away game against the Texas A&M Aggies and No. 7 Florida. These games are immensely critical for the Wildcats, given their disappointing record against ranked teams this season.

On a brighter note, these games can also help the Wildcats turn around their season at a critical juncture. Wins in all these games count as Quad 1 wins and can significantly raise their ceiling for March Madness. However, their chances look slim for now. They will host the Commodores on Saturday. The Wildcats, surprisingly, are favored in this contest and have a 56.6% chance of winning.

What are your thoughts regarding Mark Pope’s team’s chances in this game? Do let us know in the comments.