Mark Pope Gets Unexpected Lifeline as Alex Wilkins Saves Kentucky After Kansas Humiliation

Just three days after a 20-point loss to Kansas, Kentucky found itself staring at another uncomfortable finish. What was expected to be a confidence-building game against Northern Arizona instead turned into a last-second thriller at Rupp Arena. The Wildcats suffered a 20-point loss to Kansas on Tuesday in front of nearly 19,000 fans.

Against Northern Arizona on Friday, Kentucky had an opportunity to respond. Instead, the Wildcats spent much of the second half fighting to avoid an upset against a team ranked 299th in KenPom that had lost its first three games by an average of more than 20 points. Kentucky took an eight-point lead in the first half, but NAU took control of the game late in the second half.

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Frustrated fans began chanting “Fire Mark Pope” as the Wildcats allowed the visitors to seize momentum. With the fans losing their patience, the Wildcats tried to make comebacks but were met with answers from the visitors.

But with 10 seconds left in the game, they caught a break when Max Majerle missed a free throw, leaving Kentucky with a chance to win the game with the score standing at 77-75.

Kentucky’s resilience just gave Pope a second chance. Subscribe to stay on top of the Wildcats’ redemption arc and college basketball’s biggest turning points.

In the following play, Malachi Moreno lost the ball, but Kentucky received another opportunity when Chris Komin missed another free throw for NAU. This time, Wilkins didn’t waste the opportunity and hit a corner 3-pointer to give Kentucky a 78-77 lead, which eventually became the final score.

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“It’s who he is. He has got a fearless nature to him,” Pope said, calling Wilkins’ 3-pointer an “important shot.”

The drama of the finish was amplified by what had happened just days earlier against Kansas. While the Kansas defeat was not historically unusual on its own, the margin and the circumstances left Kentucky under scrutiny entering Friday’s game.

NAU was ranked 299th in KenPom entering the matchup.

The…

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Publish date : 2026-11-14 15:06:00

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