In year two for Kentucky men’s basketball head coach Mark Pope, the Wildcats welcome both newcomers and some returnees. Year one under head coach Mark Pope was nothing but a success for Kentucky basketball. The Wildcats finished with 24 wins, a winning record against ranked opponents, and of course, a deep run in the tournament, coming up just one game short of advancing to the Elite Eight.Pope admits with a new group, a handful of freshmen and players from the transfer portal, the expectations remain the same heading into year two. “That’s what I think anybody outside of Kentucky just will never understand. You know, some people might say, you know, last year we were a veteran team. So there’s a lot of pressure to win this year,” Pope said. “You know you got a deep team. So there’s a lot of pressure to win. You know next year will be something else. What you don’t understand if you’re not here at Kentucky you know exactly is that this is all the pressure always. You know if we had three players on this roster, the expectation would be we’d still go win a national championship. That never changes here. It’s one of the things that sets Kentucky apart from everyone else. So I don’t know what the difference is in the pressure or the expectations. It’s the same. And that’s why this place is so great.”While Pope knows the pressures that come with wearing the Kentucky jersey, transfers have yet to experience it.”Playing in front of 23,000 fans on a on a nightly basis is definitely going to be fun. But I’ve played in arenas,” said guard Jaland Lowe. “I’ve had a lot of great places that I’ve been able to play. And so far I’ve been blessed to play in. And hopefully those places have comforted me into playing here. But at least I know these fans will be on my side instead of playing in front of them.”Fans get their first opportunity to see the new look Wildcats Saturday at Big Blue Madness at 6 p.m. in Rupp Arena.
In year two for Kentucky men’s basketball head coach Mark Pope, the Wildcats welcome both newcomers and some returnees.
Year one under head coach Mark Pope was nothing but a success for Kentucky basketball. The Wildcats finished with 24 wins, a winning record against ranked opponents, and of course, a deep run in the tournament, coming up just one game short of advancing to the Elite Eight.
Pope admits with a new group, a handful of freshmen and players from the transfer portal, the expectations remain the same heading into year two.
“That’s what I think anybody outside of Kentucky just will never understand. You know, some people might say, you know, last year we were a veteran team. So there’s a lot of pressure to win this year,” Pope said. “You know you got a deep team. So there’s a lot of pressure to win. You know next year will be something else. What you don’t understand if you’re not here at Kentucky you know exactly is that this is all the pressure always. You know if we had three players on this roster, the expectation would be we’d still go win a national championship. That never changes here. It’s one of the things that sets Kentucky apart from everyone else. So I don’t know what the difference is in the pressure or the expectations. It’s the same. And that’s why this place is so great.”
While Pope knows the pressures that come with wearing the Kentucky jersey, transfers have yet to experience it.
“Playing in front of 23,000 fans on a on a nightly basis is definitely going to be fun. But I’ve played in arenas,” said guard Jaland Lowe. “I’ve had a lot of great places that I’ve been able to play. And so far I’ve been blessed to play in. And hopefully those places have comforted me into playing here. But at least I know these fans will be on my side instead of playing in front of them.”
Fans get their first opportunity to see the new look Wildcats Saturday at Big Blue Madness at 6 p.m. in Rupp Arena.