In a frustrating loss to Ole Miss, Kentucky’s defense was nowhere to be found, and the box score tells a story of inefficiency and missed opportunities. The Rebels dominated the game with a stunning 98-71 victory, scoring 20 points above their season average. The most telling stat of the game was Ole Miss’ staggering assist-to-turnover ratio: 24 assists and just one turnover. This dominance in ball movement highlighted Kentucky’s defensive struggles, which ultimately allowed the Rebels to control the game from start to finish.
Amidst the chaos, two Wildcats, Ansley Almonor and Trent Noah, earned an unwelcome place in Kentucky basketball history by joining the infamous “Club Trillion.” This term is given to players who fail to record any stats in a game—no points, no rebounds, no assists, not even a shot attempt. Almonor’s line was a 15 trillion, while Noah logged a 13 trillion. Together, they played 28 minutes, making their lack of impact even more notable. For context, only one player in Kentucky history has played more minutes in a game without registering a stat—Kenny Walker, back in 1983.
Despite Kentucky’s struggles, there was a third Wildcat, Collin Chandler, who nearly joined Almonor and Noah in Club Trillion. Chandler played three minutes, taking one shot, which he missed, and ended the game with no other statistics. Had he not attempted that shot, Kentucky would have had three players with a “trillion” in the same loss—an embarrassing mark for the team.
Head coach Mark Pope acknowledged the team’s poor performance, especially on the defensive end, in his postgame comments. Speaking to Tom Leach, Pope admitted that nothing was working for the Wildcats. “Right now, in this moment, in this game tonight, we weren’t actually good at anything,” he said, reflecting on the disappointing loss. The Rebels’ 24 assists set a new record for the most against Kentucky, a damning reflection of the Wildcats’ defensive breakdowns.
The game marked Kentucky’s first of the season without any lead changes or ties. The Wildcats trailed for nearly 40 minutes, making it a night to forget for both the team and their fans. As the season progresses, Kentucky will need to regroup and find ways to stop similar lapses in future games if they hope to salvage their campaign.
