Booed at Home, Saved at the Horn: Alex Wilkins' Last-Second 3 Rescues No. 24 Kentucky From Winless Northern Arizona, 78-77

Rupp Arena has seen a lot of last-second magic over the years, but few Kentucky fans will want to relive Friday night. No. 24 Kentucky needed a 3-pointer from Alex Wilkins with 2.1 seconds left to slip past winless Northern Arizona, 78-77, avoiding what would have been one of the most stunning home losses in the program's history.

The shot saved the night. It did not quiet the crowd. Fans booed the Wildcats at halftime and again late in the game when the Lumberjacks took the lead, and a chant aimed at coach Mark Pope rolled through the building.

Northern Arizona arrived in Lexington with an 0-3 record after losses to UNLV, New Mexico and Arizona by a combined 72 points. Nobody expected a game. Kentucky led by as many as 13 points in the first half and looked headed for a routine night.

Instead, the Lumberjacks hung around and then took over. Northern Arizona held a 77-73 lead with just 22 seconds left, and Kentucky was staring at a loss that would have dominated the college basketball conversation all weekend.

The door opened at the free-throw line. Northern Arizona missed the front end of two one-and-one trips down the stretch, giving Kentucky the extra possessions it needed. The Wildcats cut the deficit to two, and after Kentucky grabbed a rebound with about seven seconds left, guard Mason Williams found Wilkins on the right wing. Wilkins rose from about 24 feet and buried it with 2.1 seconds on the clock.

Northern Arizona still had one last chance. Ryan Abelman launched a heave from half court that banked off the backboard and missed, and Kentucky escaped.

Wilkins, Malachi Moreno and Milan Momcilovic each finished with 14 points to lead the Wildcats, who improved to 3-1.

The win counted in the standings. It did nothing to help Pope's standing with a fan base that expects to compete for national titles every year.

Newsweek reported that Kentucky fans took to social media after the final horn calling for Pope to be fired, even with the victory in hand. AOL's account of the night described the chants inside the arena as a sign of how fast patience has run out. Sports Illustrated noted that Pope's postgame message to fans drew attention of its own, after he described the night as "a pretty exciting game".

The money involved is serious. If Kentucky were to fire Pope, he would be owed 75 percent of the $17.25 million left on his contract entering this season, according to Sports Illustrated. That is the kind of figure that tends to make athletic directors slow down, even when the crowd is loud.

Here is what I keep coming back to: a young man had the courage to take that shot with the whole building against his own team. Alex Wilkins did not hide from the moment, and Mason Williams made the right read to find him. That is the kind of composure coaches preach in empty gyms in October, and it showed up when it counted.

I also understand the frustration in the stands. Kentucky basketball is a way of life in that state, and losing to a winless team at home would have been hard to explain. But booing college kids in the middle of a game they eventually win is not a good look for one of the proudest programs in the sport. Players hear it. Recruits hear it. The best programs I have covered are the ones where the fans hold the coach to a high standard and still stand behind the young men wearing the jersey.

None of that means Pope is off the hook. A team with Kentucky's talent should not need a prayer to beat an 0-3 opponent at Rupp. The first half showed what this group can look like when it plays with energy. The second half showed how quickly it can slip when the effort and the focus fade. Pope's job now is to find out why, and fast.

The early season is supposed to be the time for a team to find its rotation and build confidence before conference play. Kentucky is 3-1, and the one-point win will count the same as a 30-point rout in the record book. But the tape from Friday will be hard to watch in the film room, from the blown 13-point lead to the late free throws that Northern Arizona left at the line.

For Northern Arizona, the loss still stings, but the Lumberjacks proved they can play with anyone for 39 minutes and 58 seconds. For Kentucky, the lesson is simpler: the name on the front of the jersey wins nothing by itself. Wilkins bailed the Wildcats out this time. The questions about Pope and this team will follow them into their next game, and the only way to answer them is to play like Friday never happened.