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Kentucky coach Mark Pope caught on hot mic about being ‘cheated’ by refs

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated Feb 22, 2026 4:09 PM ET

Kentucky head coach Mark Pope was caught on a hot mic complaining about officials following his team’s 75-74 loss to Auburn on Saturday.

Pope was livid about an offensive foul call that went against the Wildcats’ Collin Chandler with 14 seconds left and Kentucky up by one. The call gave Auburn the ball back and allowed them to take the lead with 1.1 seconds remaining.

During his postgame press conference, Pope refused to comment on the officials, but he was happy to do so once he thought he was out of earshot.

“Mitch, if those MFers try to fine me, screw ’em. I did not say a word about how they cheated us,” Pope could be heard saying to athletic director Mitch Barnhart.

Mark Pope as he left the postgame podium:

"Mitch, if those MFers try to fine me, screw 'em. I did not say a WORD about how they cheated us"

(: @mikegittens) pic.twitter.com/pMKHpo39DO
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) February 22, 2026

It is not entirely clear if the SEC can even take action here considering Pope had left the media room and was not making an official comment. Needless to say, that kind of talk would certainly draw a fine if it did happen in a more formal environment.

Saturday’s loss dropped Kentucky to 17-10 on the season, well below the standard Big Blue Nation expects. Some fans have even been turning against Pope for months now.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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