Nothing comes easy in the SEC, and Kentucky is learning that the hard way. Rolling into Tuscaloosa, they knew this wouldn’t be just another road game—it’s a battle for respect, revenge, and a statement win. Alabama’s home crowd was electric. Their confidence was sky-high. But Kentucky had the momentum early and just three days after getting sweet revenge win over the Vanderbilt Commodores the Wildcats looked ready to take control… until things took a turn, and let’s just say, fans aren’t happy with Mark Pope.

At halftime, Alabama led 47-40. Kentucky jumped out to a 12-point lead, only to see it wiped away. The Tide dominated the glass (23-17) and their bench outscored UK’s 22-6. The Wildcats also left five free points at the line. In the first half, Koby Brea led with 11, Andrew Carr had 10, Amari Williams six, and Travis Perry five. 

So, what went wrong? Kentucky was up 20-9 in the first five minutes—until Pope pulled Amari Williams and Andrew Carr. And, well, that’s when Bama flipped the script with a 15-2 run and from there, it was all them. Fans were absolutely furious.  The frustration was loud, but it wasn’t over yet. All Kentucky needed was to slow down the Tide’s guards. Sadly, they couldn’t.

UA had no plans to lose a third consecutive game, beating Kentucky 96-83. It was a big one for them as they moved to 22-5 on the season and 11-3 in SEC play. Meanwhile, Pope’s crew is now 18-9 overall and 7-7 SEC. 

After this game, we can say that for all the talk about Kentucky’s recent defensive progress, it sure didn’t show up when it mattered against the best-scoring team in Division I. Try as they might, the Wildcats just couldn’t slow down Alabama’s offensive firepower. And if you needed a snapshot of how tough the night was for UK, look no further than one sequence in the second half.

In the span of a single second—yes, literally one second—two timeouts were called, giving Kentucky a chance to regroup and figure out how to shut down Alabama’s next play. But instead of a defensive stand, they got a dagger. Aden Holloway drilled a three from the wing, pushing Alabama’s lead to 56-49 with 15:24 left.

But are we shocked? Absolutely not. Bama averages 90.6 a game for a reason. But after Pope spent Friday hyping up Kentucky’s recent defensive strides (they ranked 14th in defensive efficiency over the last four games), fans expected a little more resistance. And more than the play, the social media is all fired up, taking aim at the head coach. Just after the first half, X was already flooded with frustration, blasting Pope.

Mark Pope’s first-half decisions spark fan fury 

“I hope we got fired-up Mark Pope in the locker room at the half,” one fan wrote. Fans wanted to see some fire, some urgency—something to shake this team awake after Alabama stormed back. Williams (17 points), Brea (20 points), Carr (17 points), Perry (12 points), and Garrison (8 points) all did their part offensively, but the season-long defensive struggles were still very much a problem in the second half as well.

“I really like Mark Pope but just don’t understand some of his substitutions,” another added. And honestly, they have a point. Everything was clicking and then Pope pulled Williams and Carr. Why? No one really knows. But what we do know is that the game was never the same after that. 

A third chimed in, attacking, “If we lose this game, it’s on Mark Pope.” And, here we are. Fans called it at halftime, and sure enough, that’s exactly how things played out. But let’s be real. Alabama isn’t Vanderbilt. Or Texas. Or South Carolina, a team not exactly known for offensive fireworks. We all kinda saw this coming. But if this one’s on Pope, he’ll own up to it. He always does.

“Mark Pope is so so bad,” one brutally declared. No sugarcoating there. Straight-up called out his coaching skills. A UK fan wished, “I want Mark Pope to get a technical tonight.” When asked why, the fan doubled down, “I just wanna see him get mean for like half a second lol.” They weren’t alone in thinking that. Officiating felt one-sided to many, and Pope, known for his calm sideline presence, didn’t put up much of a fight. Fans wanted some fire, some emotion—something. But it never came.

Although there’s no shame in losing to Alabama given the Wildcats’s injured roster, after the team’s scorching start, this one stings a little extra. All we can say is—get well soon, Lamont Butler and Jaxson Robinson.