Bruce Pearl's concern level after Kentucky vs. Auburn basketball: 'Do I look demoralized?'

AUBURN — Auburn basketball's offensive performance against Kentucky on Saturday was nauseating, and the numbers back that up.

The Tigers shot 30.9% in their duel with the Wildcats, their worst mark from the field at home since they shot 29% against Vanderbilt in February 2016. That was coach Bruce Pearl's second season on the Plains, two years before he made his first NCAA Tournament with the Tigers and three campaigns away from the run to the Final Four with Bryce Brown and Jared Harper.

And to make matters worse, fifth-year forward Jaylin Williams suffered a right knee injury midway through the second half that Pearl didn't sound too optimistic discussing: "We think he's got to have something," Pearl said of the injury to Williams. "... (It was) not just a bang. He had a pivot."

But don't characterize Auburn as being downtrodden. At least not to Pearl.

FOOTBALL: A breakdown of what Auburn assistants are making in Year 2 of the Hugh Freeze era

PREVIEW: Why the OL is a top-5 position group for Auburn ahead of spring practice

"This was not a demoralizing game," Pearl said when a reporter used the word to describe the loss. "That was a good team that played a really good game. What's demoralizing about a loss to Kentucky when they play well? I can't even answer that.

"Do I look demoralized to you? Does anybody think I'm demoralized? The point is, and this is what I want you guys to understand: Our guys have been achieving at a high level. ... For these kids to have grinded and be in position, guys, come on. Demoralized?"

The poor offensive output came against a team that's not particularly known for its defense. The Wildcats have the No. 80 adjusted defensive efficiency in the country, per KenPom, and they've only held opponents to under 60 points on three occasions this season − Auburn (59), Arkansas (57) and New Mexico State (46).

The Tigers entered Saturday averaging 86.8 points per game in Neville Arena. It was an uncharacteristic showing for a team that's previously looked nearly unbeatable in their own building.

Was it a matter of just missing open shots against coach John Calipari's defense?

"No. I give Kentucky more credit for that," Pearl said. "... Yes, we missed open shots. No, we didn't make many tough shots. ... I thought we could've gotten better looks. If you look at the South Carolina game ... we basically came out and scored every time. We could put the ball where we wanted, whenever we wanted and did whatever we wanted."

Pearl noted the personnel differences between the Wildcats and Gamecocks — Kentucky has more length — but the difference in Auburn's offensive numbers from the 101-61 win over South Carolina on Wednesday and the 11-point loss to the Wildcats on Saturday is startling for a couple of games three days apart.

The triumph over South Carolina came after a 16-point loss at Florida on Feb. 10, and that result occurred after the Tigers thrashed Alabama by 18 points Feb. 7.

Success in the postseason happens because of consistency. The Tigers have shown they can beat just about anyone when they're clicking, but a loss to Kentucky in Neville Arena shows they're human.

"I'm not worried about it," Pearl said. "You know how I felt about this team from the very beginning. I said this is a good team with a chance to be a very good team. What they've shown is they're actually a very good team with a chance to maybe be a great team. We weren't very good tonight.

"Going in, I sort of expected to see this at times against the best teams on our schedule. I still like our team. I do. If Jaylin is out, we're going to have to figure some things out. I think we have guys that'll step up, but Jaylin Williams, he and Johni Broome are our two best players. ... That's a significant loss."

Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rich_silva18.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Bruce Pearl's level of concern after Auburn basketball loss to Kentucky