Mark Pope was as dejected as he has ever been speaking after the Alabama blowout

Mark Pope has been the face of optimism and energy for Kentucky basketball all season. But after a humbling loss to Alabama in the SEC Tournament, Wildcats fans saw a side of their head coach they hadn’t all year—dejection.

From the opening tip, Alabama controlled the game, handing Kentucky a lopsided defeat that left Pope frustrated. In his postgame press conference, he gave credit to the Crimson Tide while making it clear the Wildcats’ performance wasn’t up to standard.

“Congratulations to Alabama, they played a great game tonight,” Pope said. “Were aggressive tonight. Played well. Had a good pace. We were frustrated with our performance tonight.”

The Wildcats struggled in multiple areas, including turnovers and three-point shooting. Kentucky coughed up the ball too many times against Alabama’s aggressive defense, disrupting any rhythm they hoped to establish.

“Always give credit to the opponent, for sure. They played a great game,” Pope said. “I was disappointed. The whole night we were a little stagnant in terms of playing in the character of the way that we play. Tons of credit to Alabama. Some disappointment in our response to the moment.”

Kentucky’s struggles from beyond the arc also played a role in the loss, as the Wildcats hit just 5-of-19 attempts from three.

“Yeah, again, we’ve talked about it all year long. Our capacity to earn shots for each other. It would have taken a Herculean focus on that tonight. We just didn’t have it.”

While Pope was visibly upset, he also made it clear that Kentucky’s focus has to shift quickly to the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats have the talent to make a deep run, but Pope knows they must respond to adversity in a way they didn’t against Alabama.

“I hope it’s really hard ‘cause this is not okay for us. I hope it’s really hard. But we’re here to do hard things. Like, that’s why we’re here. That’s what we’re chasing, is hard things. I hope it’s really hard and I hope we do it.”

One bright spot for Kentucky was the effort of freshman guard Travis Perry, who saw increased minutes in the backcourt.

“I thought Travis competed hard. He’s probably our next best option at the point to just give us some options to have any type of playcalling or diversity to what we do at all right now. There weren’t a ton of options there. I thought he competed really hard.”

With the SEC Tournament behind them, Kentucky’s path forward now lies in the NCAA Tournament. Pope believes the grind of the SEC has prepared the Wildcats for the challenges ahead.

“We talked about it since the beginning. It’s either going to tear you to shreds or it’s going to make you better. I think either team is going to decide which is going to be their path. If you had the fortitude and togetherness to make it, it can make you better. So that’s the challenge.”

The Wildcats will soon learn their NCAA Tournament fate, and Pope will have to rally his team quickly. If this team wants to make a deep run, they’ll need to respond better to adversity than they did against Alabama.