Skip to main content
Join Now
Team Avatar
Kentucky

Mark Pope: Kentucky facing BYU in NCAA Tournament would have been fantastic

IMG_0985by:Griffin McVeigh•about 12 hours•

griffin_mcveigh

Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope watches the action during the first half against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images
Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope watches the action during the first half against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

As the NCAA Tournament bracket was revealed, BYU appeared on the screen as a six-seed. Eyes must have lit up in Lexington as many projected Kentucky to be a three-seed. This would lead to a potential reunion for Mark Pope in the second round, going up against his old team. Instead, the Selection Committee placed Wisconsin as the East three-seed while UK landed in the Midwest.

Pope would not have shied away from playing BYU, a place he left just around a year ago to replace John Calipari. The NCAA Tournament usually provides storylines galore but one between BYU and Kentucky was not meant to be.

“I love BYU,” Pope said. “I love that place. You know I’m all about the drama, I love it. Plus, I love all the kids that are there, I got to coach a lot of those kids, and have so many friends there. That would have been really fantastic. It didn’t work out, not everything works out all the time. But it’s still going to be an epic NCAA Tournament.”

There is some history between BYU and Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament. A second-round matchup took place in 1984 when Rupp Arena hosted the Mideast Regional. Kentucky won the game and eventually progressed into the Final Four before losing to the eventual national champions, the Georgetown Hoyas.

Two other regular season matchups are in the history book too. One in 1983 and the first-ever showdown in 1951 when Kentucky was ranked No. 1 in the country. Unsurprisingly, the Wildcats took both those games and have an all-time record of 3-0 against BYU.

Getting back to modern times, there is still a scenario where the two schools could meet. The stakes would be a whole lot higher, though. BYU and Kentucky would have to face off in San Antonio in the Final Four with a spot in the national championship game on the line.

If Pope likes drama, seeing that scenario playing out certainly would have provided some. And the Cougars and Wildcats certainly would have experienced an “epic” NCAA Tournament along the way.

Kentucky will get their journey underway on Friday evening, facing off against Troy in a three vs. 14-seed battle. If seeding holds going into the second round, Illinois will be the opponent. But whoever wins the First Four matchup between Texas and Xavier will be looking to pull off an upset.