Kentucky’s Sweet Sixteen game was supposed to be a cakewalk. The Tennessee Volunteers had been bothered by the Wildcats brand of offense through the regular season, but it looks like they did their homework! Mark Pope’s team suffered a humiliating 78-65 loss against the Vols in the Sweet Sixteen SEC showdown, and the Big Blue Nation was left wondering what had happened.

In a way, we can say nothing changed. The Vols used their biggest strength to their advantage– defense. They out-rebounded the Wildcats with ease, grabbing double the offensive boards as them. Not to mention, they forced 12 turnovers from Kentucky.

On the Mark Titus Show, show host Mark Titus, Tate Moore, and guest Bobby Reagan discussed Kentucky’s embarrassing exit. “I thought it was going to be the game of the night. It wasn’t.” Titus said to Reagan, a Wildcats supporter and sports blogger for Barstool Sports. “Tennessee just kind of blitzed you guys.” 

It was a deja vu moment. Just a day ago, in the exact same setting, Bobby Reagan was gleefully celebrating John Calipari and Arkansas’ Sweet Sixteen exit. “A smile on my face,” is how he described his reaction as the Razorbacks fell. The friction between coach Cal and Kentucky fans isn’t hard to grasp, but the Big Blue Nation is known to take it too far sometimes. And it looks like karma got them back this time.

Reagan, to his credit, took the loss rather gracefully. But he didn’t shy away from calling out reasons for the exit. “It comes down to one play–Koby Brea missing the layup on the first play of the game. Changed the game entirely. That was game. Because Koby Brea had his worst game in a long time. He could not make a shot,” he said, frustrated with the big guard’s performance. The Wildcats’ third-leading scorer went 1-of-7 from the field and 1-of-4 from beyond the arc after all.

However, it was a relatively good season for the Wildcats, all things considered. Their last few years with Calipari were unfulfilling, and they needed a change. With Mark Pope at the helm, the BBN gained new life! But what does the head coach have to say about the season and his team’s performance? Let’s find out.

Mark Pope has high praise for his Kentucky squad after Sweet Sixteen embarrassment

It may have been a disappointing end, the Kentucky head coach Mark Pope isn’t hanging his head. He seemed optimistic for the future instead. It was an incredible first year for him, and it seems like he’s excited to keep building.

After the game, Pope sat down with the media to answer some questions. When asked about what’s next for the program, he had a brilliant answer ready. “It’s just being relentless about it, just what these guys did to set an incredible foundation, giving us a great beginning. They set a really high standard. They set a high standard on the court, and a higher standard in the locker room and off the floor,” he said, shining the spotlight on his Kentucky squad.

He talked about how his 2024-25 squad will be talked about in ten years time as the guys that set the standard for what it meant to play for Kentucky. Or as he put it? “The guys that came in here and set a standard of what this is supposed to be, how you’re supposed to carry yourself as a Kentucky basketball player, how you’re supposed to connect yourself with your teammates.”

There was pride oozing out of his voice as he praised the Wildcats. Mark Pope might not have gone all the way this season, but his tenure with the Kentucky has just begun! He has miles to go before he sleeps, and he plans on going a long way.