Men's Basketball

Mark Pope and Kentucky Staff Talking With SEC, Performing “In-Depth Study” After Back-To-Back Questionably Officiated Games

After a debacle caused the officiating in Kentucky’s loss to Georgia, Mark Pope and his staff look to respond.

Published

5 months ago

January 9, 2025

Lane Mills

Mark Pope talking to an official during the Kentucky-Georgia game.

Chet White | UK Athletics

In the wake of Kentucky’s road loss to the Georgia Bulldogs, the latest in a recent flurry of questionable officiating extravaganzas, Mark Pope has announced that he and his staff are doing an in-depth study of the whistle in Kentucky’s first two SEC games.

“Based on our whistle in our first two SEC games, we’re doing an in-depth study right now,” Pope said on his weekly call-in show.

During both bouts, the former of which was at home against Florida, Kentucky is -30 in total free throw attempts compared to their opponents. In the Georgia game specifically, they were -19. These aren’t normal metrics, and Mark Pope knows it.

A Learning Process

In addition to studying the footage, the staff have been in correspondence with the SEC in order to, according to Pope, “learn about the whistle.”

“We’re not interested in what the rules are, we’re interested in the rules that are being called,” he said. “We want to push the envelope as far as we can toward the rules that are being called more than just following the rules that are written.”

While there is sure to be much debate about the former statement regarding the officials’ ability to impact the outcome of a game, disgruntled fans and watchers alike have a new reason to hope for improvement with the whistle going forward.

Not only can officiating such as that in the Kentucky-Georgia game negatively affect a team, but it damages the experience for onlookers as well.

The aforementioned match tipped off at 7:00 p.m., set to end by 9:00 and usher in LSU-Missouri, which was slated to jump right as the buzzer sounded on the former. But due to the prolonged nature of a game that is constantly stopped by whistles and monitor reviews, Kentucky-Georgia didn’t end until just after 9:30; a half-hour beyond the allotted time.

Even the broadcast team for LSU-Missouri recognized the madness, chanting “Foul on Kentucky!” when the channel finally switched over to their game. A true anomaly.

If that’s what it took for the issue to potentially be fixed in the long run, then so be it. The wait will not be long to see the aftermath of the situation either way, as Kentucky remains on the road against the Mississippi State Bulldogs this Saturday, Jan. 11.

Either way, Pope will never point to the officiating as a reason for a loss, rather citing that if Kentucky can control the variables they can control, they will win.

“When we’re good, the whistle won’t determine wins or losses,” he said. “We will determine wins or losses. I always want my players to know that. At the end of the day, this game will never be taken out of our hands. We can find a way to win this game, regardless of how the whistle sounds.”

Men's Basketball

Jasper Johnson Makes Final U19 USA Roster Under Coach Mark Pope

Jasper Johnson has advanced in the U19 USA camp for the second time alongside the nation’s best recruits, and under Mark Pope’s wing.

Published

16 hours ago

June 20, 2025

Lane Mills

Instagram: @bruhjasperj (UK Athletics)

In a surprisingly relevant development smack dab in the middle of the offseason, Jasper Johnson has yet again advanced in the pool of players participating in the USA U19 camp.

The program, which could be a described as a sort of extension of the Team USA that just took home the gold in 2024, is comprised of some of the nation’s most anticipated talents set to take collegiate courts in the next couple of seasons.

Blue Gets In

Among them is Kentucky native and commit Johnson, and was also incoming Cat Malachi Moreno, before the latter was cut as a result of a mild injury he obtained throughout the camp’s course. Despite Moreno’s exit, his future teammate continues to impress.

Under the wing of Coach Mark Pope, who’s helmed the team in the camp up to this point, Johnson has now made the final cut after multiple roster slashes – he and only 11 other players remain in the minority that will go forward to actually compete for the team in the 2025 FIBA U19 Men’s World Cup, which will take place June 28 through July 6 in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The pre-competition camp serves not only as a trial of play before these athletes disperse to their own respective rosters this fall and next, but for Johnson, as a preview of what it’s like to play under Coach Pope. If his current success is any indicator, Kentucky fans may be in for something special when the pair tackle opposing teams together for the blue and white.

In similar noteworthy news, also attending the event are Taylen Kinney and Tyran Stokes, two Kentucky-born athletes with ties to Kentucky that the program is heavily recruiting. Jasper’s strong performance, combined with Coach Pope’s presence, can only help the Wildcats’ chances on that front, too.

To say the least, Mark Pope has found a way to facilitate Kentucky’s influence far beyond the boundaries of Lexington. He and Johnson, for the time being, will continue to press turn heads on the national stage, and it’s very likely that fans aren’t the only ones paying attention.

Men's Basketball

Archie Goodwin and Kahlil Whitney Set to Join La Familia This Summer

La Familia continues to add more firepower to the 2025 roster.

Published

2 days ago

June 19, 2025

Kai McClelland

James Crisp (Left), Adam Hunger (Right) | Associated Press

As the start of the 2025 TBT Tournament inches closer, La Familia has been slowly but surely adding star Wildcats to the roster.

Usually, we see announcements for new additions to the squad roll out on social media in some form, whether it be a post from La Familia’s official accounts or in form of Ansley Almonor’s announcement, which took place on BBN Tonight.

However, this time, Archie Goodwin and Kahlil “The Dragon” Whitney were added to the roster on the TBT website without any announcement, surprising Big Blue Nation as the news leaked and began to circulate.

They were removed from the website afterwards, but as of Thursday, June 19, appear on the website as listed members of the roster.

Goodwin has been an active member for years, highlighted by his semifinals appearance last year where he averaged 13.8 points per game en route.

Whitney is a name that may cause some to shed a tear, with so much potential surrounding the former five-star leading up to his debut. Ultimately, he left the program after appearing in just 18 games for Kentucky.

La Familia is competitive as all get out, shown by chippy play with guys who have nothing to lose but everything to win for the place they call home. Goodwin and Whitney, now added to that list of guys, will look to redeem themselves with one goal in mind. Win.

The official La Familia roster as of June 19:

– Willie Cauley-Stein (2012-15)

– Doron Lamb (2010-12)

– DeAndre Liggins (2008-11)

– Aaron Harrison (2013-15)

– Andrew Harrison (2013-15)

– Ansley Almonor (2024-25)

– Archie Goodwin (2012-13)

– Kahlil Whitney (2019-20)

Men's Basketball

Former Kentucky Star, 10-year NBA Veteran Eric Bledsoe Arrested and Charged with Felony Domestic Violence

Published

2 days ago

June 19, 2025

Tristan Pharis

Former Kentucky guard Eric Bledsoe has been arrested and charged with felony domestic violence.

Scott Utterback | Courier Journal

Eric Bledsoe, a key part of the 2009-10 Kentucky team that reinvigorated the Big Blue Nation following the Billy Gillispie era, was arrested on Wednesday morning.

According to reports, the California Highway Patrol investigated a report of domestic violence. The investigators were led to a gas station on a Los Angeles-area freeway where they discovered Bledsoe with a woman who was suffering from “bruising and swelling” to her face, and who said that Bledsoe allegedly hit her. Bledsoe was booked on a felony domestic violence charge and held on $55,000 bail.

Bledsoe was previously arrested on a similar charge back in 2022, but that case was later dropped when prosecutors said the alleged victim gave “inconsistent statements about whether there was a physical altercation.”

Bledsoe was part of Kentucky’s La Familia team last year in the TBT, and was announced to return again this season.