Kentucky Wildcats are on a season of highs and lows; the former a little more. Ranked third offensively with an average of 88.8 points per game, the Mark Pope-led team has shown scoring brilliance in wins over the likes of Duke and Florida for a 13-3 record. But struggles haven’t evaded them. The Wildcats’ slow starts and the defensive lapses have cost them good. However, there’s more to it and Pope is ensuring to not make it a stone in the shoe.

Wyatt Huff, a Wildcats writer, in a tweet revealed that Mark Pope addressed Kentucky’s struggles when the game slows down, stating, ‘It takes away our energy.’ He added that the team works on this in practice experimenting with different lineups to sustain intensity.

Kentucky’s struggles were rather visible during their road SEC opener against Georgia. Owing to a slow start, the Wildcats trailed by 13 points by the end of the first half. It was their fifth high-major game this season that they trailed by a double-digit. The Pope-led team remained scoreless for about 3 minutes as Georgia rallied from 5-8 to 11-8 in the duration and never let them recover after taking a 25-26 lead. The Wildcats missed a total of 9 shots thereafter, through to halftime.

Only coming as close as a 5-point deficit, Kentucky ended the evening shooting 37% from the field and just 24% from beyond the arc. They were also out rebounded and forced into 13 turnovers, slightly more than their average of 12. However, that isn’t making the Wildcats a particularly poor team. “We have a really good team. We didn’t play particularly well, and so there’s a lot of things where we’re just a little bit anomalous,” Pope says.

They recovered against the Mississippi State, never trailing once they grabbed a 12-11 lead. So the pace of the game could define the Wildcats’ fate until they overcome the hiccup, as they take on no.11 ranked Texas A&M next.

Mark Pope and Jaxson Robinson aim to ignite Kentucky vs. Texas A&M

Jaxson Robinson’s exceptional performance in the recent 95-90 victory over Mississippi State has garnered significant praise from coaches and teammates. HC Mark Pope expressed his admiration, stating, “When you see a young guy get to that place and then have a game like tonight, it’s thrilling to watch.”

HC Mark praised Robinson’s focus and clutch performance, noting that he had “incredible focus leading up to the game” and made “clutch shots in the final minutes that jumpstarted some big momentum for Kentucky.”

Robinson’s impressive 7-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc was a valuable weapon for Kentucky. Facing Texas A&M, known for its tough defense, Robinson’s ability to hit from long range could pull defenders out and create more space on the floor. Drawing the Aggies’ defense toward him, he could open up passing lanes and driving opportunities for his teammates to exploit.

Texas A&M have secured wins over the likes of Texas and Oklahoma in their SEC run so far. But a point in favor of the Wildcats would be the absence of Wade Taylor IV. If Robinson is up to the task, delivering on the threes, Pope could as well overcome their struggle with pace.