When Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart hired Mark Pope to be the next head basketball coach of the Kentucky basketball program, the only two knocks on the hire were recruiting and NCAA Tournament success. Coach Pope didn’t have a ton of proven success in either of these things, especially the NCAA Tournament.
Early into his tenure as the head coach of the Wildcats, he has proven that he can recruit at a high level in both high school and the transfer portal. Coach Pope has already landed two 2025 five-star recruits and put together a solid roster for the 2024-25 season via the transfer portal.
The NCAA Tournament success narrative is one that Coach Pope won’t be able to fix until the season comes around, but many in Lexington believe he will be able to do just that.
Kentucky’s roster for this season is made up of players who should help Coach Pope be able to make a run in the tournament, as these players are veterans. Most of this roster also has previous NCAA Tournament experience, so the bring lights of March won’t be too much for the Wildcats this season.
It is easier said than done, but Coach Pope has a team for the upcoming season that is very capable of making the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament this season. If he was able to do that in year one as Kentucky’s head coach, both of the narratives that made him sound like not the best fit for Lexington would quickly be put away.
