Kentucky didn’t just lose to North Carolina on Tuesday night — the Wildcats suffered one of the most painful offensive collapses of the Mark Pope era. In a 67–64 defeat at Rupp Arena, Kentucky endured its longest field-goal drought in at least eight seasons, according to ESPN Research, and watched a winnable game slip away possession by possession.
The drought began shortly after Brandon Garrison hit Kentucky’s only three-pointer of the night, a shot that put the Wildcats up four with 13:08 remaining. What followed was a stretch that left Rupp Arena stunned: 13 straight missed shots and no field goals for more than 10 minutes. Kentucky didn’t make another bucket until Otega Oweh scored on a driving layup with 2:43 to play.
North Carolina struggled offensively at times as well, but the Tar Heels steadied late, knocking down five of their final seven attempts to secure their first win in Rupp since 2007.
A Perfect Storm of Problems
After the game, Mark Pope explained that the scoring collapse wasn’t caused by one issue — it was a pile-up of several.
“Missed opportunities, poor shot selection, lack of ball movement, fatigue,” Pope said. “It’s uncommon for us to be 1-for-13 from three. That’s not who we are. More disappointing is the eight assists.”
Pope admitted that Kentucky’s decision-making collapsed under pressure in the second half, and the team is still learning how to create shots for each other within the offense. He hinted that he might have to dig deeper into the rotation moving forward, especially once Jaland Lowe, Mo Dioubate, and Jayden Quaintance return.
Otega Oweh Steps Up While Others Go Silent
With the offense stalling, Kentucky needed someone to take over — and Otega Oweh was the only Wildcat who consistently delivered. He finished with 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including three of Kentucky’s few second-half makes.
No one else could get going.
Denzel Aberdeen shot 1-for-7 after halftime.
Collin Chandler finished 1-for-4.
No other Wildcat made more than a single field goal in the final 20 minutes.
Pope said breaking out of a drought typically requires pace, a reliable scorer, and simply being strong with the ball. Kentucky failed in all three areas, from dropping easy catches to missing layups.
Worst Three-Point Performance of the Pope Era
Kentucky didn’t just struggle from deep — the Wildcats posted the worst three-point shooting night of Pope’s tenure. They finished 1-for-13, far below the 30 attempts per game Pope aims for in his system.
The lone make came from Garrison — not even one of Kentucky’s usual shooters.
This is the seventh loss under Pope in which Kentucky has made six or fewer threes. The previous low was four against Auburn last season.
UNC’s switching defense played a role, but Pope didn’t excuse the execution.
“They switch a lot, and they were physical,” he said. “But we just shot it poorly.”
A Concerning Trend With Gonzaga Coming
Kentucky is now 0-3 in its biggest games of the season, and the offensive problems are starting to look like more than early-season jitters. With No. 11 Gonzaga waiting in Nashville on Friday, the Wildcats need answers ASAP.
They have talent — but the chemistry, confidence, and late-game execution still aren’t there.
If they don’t figure out their scoring identity soon, this won’t be the last nightmare finish fans have to endure.
