Replacing John Calipari at the Kentucky Wildcats was not going to be an easy task. In his 15 seasons in Lexington, Calipari led the Wildcats to seven Elite Eights, four Final Fours, and the 2012 national championship. But in recent times, the team struggled for consistency and missed out on the Final Four for the eighth consecutive time earlier this year. If this didn’t make incoming coach Mark Pope’s task hard enough, the AP Top 25 Poll on Monday further underlined the challenge that awaits former BYU HC.

Pope was a captain in Kentucky’s 1996 national championship and coached BYU for five years,  leading them to two NCAA tournaments in five seasons. He signed a reported five-year contract with the Wildcats in April as he looks to restore the program to its former glory. But it will be far from an easier job.

The AP Top 25 Poll ranked Pope’s Wildcats at No. 23, their lowest preseason ranking since 2008-09 when they began the season unranked. That season proved to be the last for Billy Gillispie, with Calipari replacing him for the following season. The omens aren’t good for Pope to begin with.

Notably, the Wildcats are one of the nine SEC teams ranked in the Top 25, but are only ahead of two SEC teams in the rankings- Ole Miss and recent Big Ten addition Rutgers. Last season, the team was ranked 16, which was their lowest ranking under Calipari. But the misery doesn’t end here for Pope.

Following the AP Poll rankings, the media in the SEC gave out their predictions for the teams in the conference. They have the Wildcats finishing as low as eighth with Alabama projected to win the SEC Championship. Not only this, but Mark Pope’s college record won’t exactly inspire the Wildcats fanbase.

With BYU he went 110-52 overall and in their first season in the Big 12 in 2023-24, they finished tied for fifth in the league and went 23-11. Before arriving in BYU he was the coach at Utah Valley for four seasons. He didn’t win a title with them but went 48-21 in his final two seasons. But his coaching record overall leaves a lot to be desired.

He hasn’t won a regular-season or conference tournament championship during his nine seasons as a head coach in college. His BYU team also suffered upset losses in the first round of the NCAA tournament, losing as a 6-seed facing an 11-seed both times, first against UCLA in 2021 and then versus Duquesne this year. These may not be the ideal coaching credentials the Wildcats fans would have been looking for as they seek to win a first championship in over a decade.

On the other hand, Calipari is a Hall of Fame basketball coach, who joined the University of Arkansas, shortly after leaving Kentucky. Kentucky won the NCAA Championship title in 2012 under John Calipari after a 14-year drought, with their last title before that success coming in 1998. But in recent years he found it hard to replicate the success. In fact, under Calipari, the Wildcats last made it to the Final Four in 2015.

Last season, they went 23-10 overall and 13-5 in SEC play last season but lost to Oakland in the opening round. Hence, not only Pope has to revive a struggling program but has big shoes to fill. The former Utah Valley coach also faces the challenge of building a new team capable of challenging the preseason notions.

Mark Pope needs to rebuild a new team

In an attempt to replenish the winningest program in the sport’s history has signed 12 new players. If the overhaul of the team works out and the players are able to gel quickly enough, we may see some progress from the Wildcats this season. But the scale of the task is massive. None of the 12 players have played together before, with only Jaxon Robinson having played under coach Pope before.

Robinson was BYU’s top scorer last season, so Pope may look to build a team around him. “Well, if we win every game, then we’ll be right there close to the standard,” Pope had stated during an interview with The Courier-Journal while reflecting on this unique situation. He is targeting near perfection, but it won’t come easy.

A good start could help to build some confidence, which would have taken a hit after last season and the low AP Poll rankings in the preseason. The Wildcats begin their season on November 4 at Rupp Arena against Wright State and their SEC campaign opener will be on January 4 against No. 21 Florida.

Will Mark Pope make a mockery of the preseason polls and predictions? Or will the Wildcats fans be left longing for their previous coach?