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Men's Basketball

Mark Pope Addresses Rumors Surrounding Locker Room, Players and More

Mark Pope finally addressed the rumors surrounding the program and the answer may not be what you’re looking for.

Published

8 months ago

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Tristan Pharis | KY Insider

The amount of pressure surrounding any coach at the Unviersity of Kentucky instantly comes with lofty expectations and overreactions the moment things aren’t trending in the right direction. Unfortunately for Mark Pope, he’s been a victim to Big Blue Nation’s remarks and comments following back-to-back losses against ranked opponents.

However, this time, there’s more issues extending past the on-court play for the Wildcats.

After his coaching meltdown against the Lousiville Cardinals on Nov. 11, Pope was short and blunt after the game, featuring one of his shortest press conferences in his tenure.

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Kentucky fans were sour, but were willing to put the loss on the back burner, with fans commenting “I trust Coach Pope!!!!” and “Quit panicking. We own Louisville.” on KY Insider’s social media posts after the game.

Historically, not hitting the panic button just yet after losing the Battle of the Bluegrass is justified, since the Wildcats lead the series 40-18 all-time and Pope and Pat Kelsey have the same amount of wins against each other since both took their respective positions.

Completely out of his character, Pope alluded to a pregame situation at the KFC Yum! Center that was ironically “way out of character” for his team. Obviously, the media, fans and anyone who didn’t know what he was referring to became curious.

The next day, the former Wildcat responded with a dominating win over Easten Illinois and, when asked about the situation, decided to make a move in the wrong direction.

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Just two minutes into the after-game press conference, Pope was asked to ellaborate on what he said and with a big smile on his face, did everything in his power to turn down any speculation.

“There’s really not much to it,” said Pope with a Taylor Swift reference. “When we talk about it, it’s really not going to be very interesting. It was just the way that we felt as a team and how we responded.”

At the time, this answer wasn’t enough for most, but it was something. Rumors began to swirl around what actually happened, with talks of a fight between several players and even an incident with a Lousiville fan and a player reaching virality overnight.

Without directly addressing the matter, this did nothing but add fuel to the fire.

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Then, the last thing the unsure fans needed, the Wildcats were blown out in Madison Square Garden by the No. 17 Michigan State Spartans.

Before, during and after the game, we all saw a different side of the coach we all know and love. He was visually disappointed and mellow.

Pope took nearly an hour to make his way to the media room and answer questions, which again just made the people already unsure on what is happening behind the scenes more concerned.

When KY Insider asked Pope about fighting through adversity and coming together, he was brutally honest with his respone.

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“I got to do a better job,” said Pope. “My messaging isn’t resonating with the guys right now – that’s my responsibility.”

Pope would go on to listen to his senior leader Otega Oweh answer questions and do an interview with national reporter Jeff Goodman – remaining bleak the entire time.

Any person with a heart thought it was odd, and would likely offer Pope a hug or reassurance that he has more than enough time to fix things.

The social media war then began, with Pope’s former teammates and assistant coaches responding to toxic comments and beating down the negative side of the Kentucky fan base.

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Yet again, most with any basketball knowledge realized you can’t in essence win every single game, and moved on.

During his media availability on Thursday, Nov. 20, Pope was asked about the rumors swirling around the entire two weeks of mishap, and he put his foot down, stating it was just that their usual pregame routine started earlier than expected.

“There’s nothing there,” said Pope. “We came into our 40-minute metting, and normally, our 40-minute, we try and keep it really calm and really relaxed because we’re trying to manage our emotions, and it didn’t work.”

He took time to finally shed positive light on the players and their prep for the next game, but many chose to pick out this moment and call the “BS” card.

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The rumors and speculation surrounding the entire locker room were for nothing, with many raising that it wasn’t the best decision to cause unwanted drama when the program is struggling on the court.

Now, whether it boils down to the second-year coach just wording things poorly or hiding what really is happening behind the scenes for the sake of the program, fans are slowly becoming untrustworthy in Pope’s words after his politician-like media availability.

Beating around the bush just doesn’t work for such a passionate fan base.

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Men's Basketball

College Basketball Rankings: Where Kentucky Stands in Updated “way-too-early” Polls

Published

2 weeks ago

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July 3, 2026

By

Where Kentucky basketball stands in ESPN and CBS Sports updated way-too-early rankings after more coaching changes, player additions, and injuries.
UK Athletics

Last offseason, Kentucky was considered a top-10 team and a true title contender, but ended the season as one of the most disappointing teams in the country, winning just one game in the NCAA Tournament.

This offseason, Kentucky is barely cracking the top 15 in most preseason rankings and will look to climb the rankings throughout the season rather than fall.

Still 120+ days out from the start of the regular season, ESPN and CBS Sports have updated their “way-too-early” rankings following Dusty May’s jump from Michigan to the NBA, more player additions for teams, and some early-season-ending injuries.

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The rankings remain fairly static, however, with the Wildcats holding steady in ESPN’s rankings while moving ahead of St. John’s in CBS Sports’ rankings following Donnie Freeman’s Achilles injury.

ESPN

17. Kentucky Wildcats

Previous ranking: 17 (no change)

Impact newcomer: Milan Momcilovic

Momcilovic was the best transfer in the portal, after a season in which he established himself as the best shooter in college basketball. The 6-8 forward withdrew from the NBA draft on the night of the deadline, committing to coach Mark Pope’s team a few days later after also being pursued by Louisville and Arizona. He’s immediately an All-America contender and the most dangerous player on the Wildcats’ roster, after averaging 16.9 points and shooting 48.7% from 3 last season.

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Projected starting lineup

Zoom Diallo (15.7 PPG at Washington)
Alex Wilkins (17.8 PPG at Furman)
Milan Momcilovic (16.9 PPG at Iowa State)
Ousmane N’Diaye (9.8 PPG for Cremona in Serie A)
Malachi Moreno (7.8 PPG)

CBS Sports

16. Kentucky Wildcats

Previous ranking: 17 (⬆️1)

This ranking is based on the Wildcats returning one of the top six scorers — specifically Malachi Moreno — from a team that finished 22-14 and advanced to the second round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. That core will be joined by a recruiting class highlighted by Iowa State transfer Milan Momcilovic, Washington transfers Zoom Diallo and Franck Kepnang, Washington State transfer Jerone Morton, James Madison transfer Justin McBride, Providence transfer Alex Wilkins, four-star prospect Mason Williams and international prospect Ousmane N’Diaye.

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Men's Basketball

Mark Pope Discusses Final Assistant Coach Position, “I’m not in desperate need of adding more pieces”

Published

2 weeks ago

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July 3, 2026

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Mark Pope isn't rushing to fill Kentucky's final assistant coach opening, saying pending NCAA rules on international players could shift his plans.
UK Athletics

Kentucky basketball has operated this offseason without a full staff. Assistant coaches Alvin Brooks III and Jason Hart left the program back in March, and Mark Pope has only filled one of the two spots since, hiring former NBA All-Star Mo Williams from Jackson State.

Despite that, Kentucky managed to bring in the 3rd ranked transfer class in the country, highlighted by Milan Momcilovic, and have secured a commitment from 2027 five-star Ryan Hampton.

“I like my organization a lot right now. I think this group is functioning at a high level,” Pope said about his staff in an interview with BBN Tonight. “I like the way our staff feels. I like the way we feel in the staff meeting every day. I like the way we’re executing on the road. I like the way we feel on the court right now.”

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With an assistant coach position sitting vacant, Pope is satisfied with how his staff is performing and says there is no urgency in filling the role. Instead, he’s waiting to see how NCAA guidelines and rules unfold in the coming weeks.

“I’m not in desperate need of adding more pieces, although I’m open to the idea,” he said.

“There are going to be a whole host of legal cases from our league testing the CSC and the NCAA on their current guidelines and rules on international players. And depending on what the outcome of those are, it could very much shift the direction we go with hiring.”

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Men's Basketball

Mark Pope Says Kentucky’s Final Roster Spot Is About Fit, “There’s got to be a very uniquely positioned piece”

Published

2 weeks ago

on

July 3, 2026

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Mark Pope opens up on Kentucky Basketball's final roster spot, emphasizing fit over hype as the Nikola Kusturica recruitment nears a decision.
UK Athletics

Kentucky basketball is wrapping up its third week of practice in an eight-week summer training block. While the players are getting acclimated to Mark Pope’s system and to each other, there is still one roster spot to be filled.

“I am enjoying coaching these guys, but we’re also still really active in recruiting,” Pope said in an interview with BBN Tonight.

One name that Wildcat fans have been keeping a close eye on in recent weeks is Nikola Kusturica, a 17-year-old prospect from Serbia, who is currently playing for FC Barcelona and is a projected lottery pick in the 2028 NBA Draft. His recruitment is down to Kentucky and UCLA, with the latter having the momentum and a decision expected soon.

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Whoever the final roster piece will be, Pope emphasizes that they must fit with the other 14 players on the roster.

“Where we are with our roster, there’s got to be a very uniquely positioned piece that fits,” he said.

“There are several different archetypes of piece that would fit this roster really well, but there’s also a lot of guys who are popping up as available or have been available for a little while who don’t turn out to be the fit that’s going to work for this team.”

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