Basketball isn’t meant to be a free-throw shooting contest. But, well…. that’s exactly what it’s turning into. The basketball community is over it. The moment conference play kicked in, games started feeling like nonstop whistle-fests. Even if you don’t watch college hoops religiously, you’ve probably seen Dan Hurley’s viral meltdowns about it. Coaches lose their minds over officiating all the time. But one coach, Mark Pope—usually too nice for all that—actually has a solution.

The Kentucky Wildcats head coach is, by all accounts, a good guy. Some might say he is too good. He’s all about positivity, uplifting energy, and, apparently, patience. He hasn’t racked up a single technical foul this season. But even Pope has had his moments. And while he usually avoids taking shots at officiating, this time, he spoke up for all 363 Division I coaches.

“I want coaches to be able to have one opportunity for a review. It takes the onus off the officials. It puts the pressure on the coaches to use some discretion. I want to have a flag that I can throw onto the floor,” coach Pope said. Sounds familiar? That’s because the NBA already has a Coach’s Challenge system, letting coaches contest calls like fouls and out-of-bounds plays. But in the NCAA? Nothing of that sort exists. 

Sure, it’d come with limitations—maybe a lost timeout if the challenge fails—but at least it gives something. Because right now? It’s getting worse day by day. Implementing it could take some heat off officials and bring some much-needed fairness to the game. 

Obviously, Hurley grabs headlines for his sideline theatrics, but Pope has had his moments, too. Remember Kentucky’s game against Texas A&M? When the refs hit Amari Williams with a foul call that was, let’s just say, questionable, The Rupp Arena crowd erupted in boos, and for once, even Pope couldn’t hide his disbelief. Shaking his head, he muttered, “Oh my gosh,” while his players huddled around the refs in protest.

Even in the Georgia game, Kentucky fans were all over the officiating, calling it outright biased. And how can we forget vs. Alabama? Otega Oweh fouled out with just two points to his name. Two of the starters racked up four fouls each. So, naturally, the Wildcats HC had plenty to argue about. And there was even a clip floating around of the referee literally stopping the game just to give Pope a quick staredown before casually restarting play.

When asked about all this, Pope, after a dramatic pause, had earlier shrugged and said, “I think Alabama is a terrific defensive team.” For context, Alabama is ranked 155th in defensive efficiency. Not exactly a defensive powerhouse.

Top Comment by Billy Mills

Sure is !!! Pope is right

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Still, even with all that going on, Pope has taken a different approach. He’s attended referee symposiums, trying to understand how calls are made, and his team is adapting accordingly. They’re playing smarter, avoiding foul trouble, and making it a key part of their game plan. But avoiding fouls isn’t translating to big wins. It feels like every time Kentucky pulls off a strong victory, they follow it up with a disappointing loss.

Mark Pope’s Wildcats stumble in the rankings

Kentucky fans had reason to hope after a thrilling win over Oklahoma. But the Auburn Tigers crushed them in a very painful manner. Leading by as many as 22 points in the second half, they cruised to a dominant 94-78 win over Kentucky—marking their first victory inside Rupp Arena since 1988. Bruce Pearl’s squad left Lexington riding high, securing their 16th Quad 1 win and inching closer to a No. 1 seed.

 After slipping to No. 23 in last week’s USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, the Wildcats have now dropped to No. 24. They’re barely holding onto a Top 25 spot, sitting as the SEC’s seventh and final ranked team. Meanwhile, Auburn leads the pack, followed by Tennessee and Florida in the Top 5. Alabama remains in the Top 10 at No. 8, while Texas A&M suffered the biggest SEC drop of the week, falling ten spots to No. 21.

With the final week of the regular season here—matchups against LSU and Missouri still on deck—Kentucky is running out of time to turn things around before the SEC Tournament.

And with officiating drama continuing to take center stage, who knows what’s next?