Kentucky head coach Mark Pope made an excuse about his team's performance after one of the worst losses in program history.

Kentucky's season ends short of the Sweet 16 in a second-round loss to an Iowa State team playing without Joshua Jefferson.

Tamin Lipsey had 26 points and 10 assists as second-seeded Iowa State pulled away in the second half for an 82-63 win over No. 7 seed Kentucky in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Wildcats' 19-point loss in an 82-63 defeat against Iowa State was Kentucky's largest in an NCAA tournament game since 1972.

Kentucky basketball's underachieving season ended with an NCAA Tournament loss to Iowa State. Mark Pope must address these things ahead of Year 3:

As Kentucky fans watched their season end in emphatic fashion Sunday with an 82-63 loss to Iowa State, they saw a team that plays the way many of them probably wish the Wildcats did with an unflinching defensive scheme and attacking offense that never gives the opponent a moment’s rest.

Iowa State pulled away late against Kentucky to advance to the Sweet 16 on Sunday, March 22. Here are the highlights:

The winner will earn a trip to the Sweet 16. Kentucky (24-10), the No. 5 seed in the Fort Worth Region 3, has advanced to the regional semifinals six times but not since 2016. No. 4 seed West Virginia (28-6) made its only trip in 1992, when the Mountaineers earned a first-round bye and needed just one win in a field of 48 teams to get there.

Kentucky Wildcats basketball's second season under Mark Pope ended with a March Madness loss to Iowa State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

March Madness continues Friday as Santa Clara takes on Kentucky in a first-round NCAA Tournament matchup, with the Wildcats looking to begin a deep postseason run. MORE: 7 elite March Madness names competing in 2026 NCAA Tournament How to