Relive the Best Moments from Mark Pope's First Kentucky Basketball Season

Fifty-one weeks ago, John Calipari was still the head coach at the University of Kentucky. It was a transformative year for Big Blue Nation’s beloved basketball program that featured so many ups and downs, and fortunately, there were more of the former.

Mark Pope returned to his alma mater in a move that initially drew skepticism. The questions about the decision quickly went away when 25,000 people showed up to greet him at Rupp Arena. Pope hit the transfer portal hard to assemble a winning team. Kentucky became the first school in college basketball history to advance to the Sweet 16 with zero returning points from the previous season.

The Wildcats also tied a record with eight victories over Top-15 teams. It felt like there might have been a few more, if Kentucky could have stayed healthy. The injury bug bit early and often, leaving many to ask, “What if?” Rather than linger on the hypothetical, let’s revisit the most exciting moments from Mark Pope’s first season at Kentucky.

Pope Calls Curtains on Cooper Flagg in Team Huddle

It’s impossible to not compare Mrk Pope to his Hall of Fame predecessor. Part of what made this season so special for so many is how much the two differed from one another while Pope wracked up so many big wins.

Kentucky had lost four straight games in the Champions Classic and six of the last seven. They had just one win over Duke since 1998. The Cats were underdogs against Cooper Flagg and the uber talented Blue Devils. Kentucky came from behind to retake a late lead. Pope called a timeout and told his team what was going to happen next. They listened and forced a turnover on the future No. 1 pick, paving the way for a 77-72 win.

Kentucky Comeback in Seattle

“We lost the game in the first half.” That’s how John Calipari described Kentucky’s failed comeback attempt against Gonzaga the year prior at Rupp Arena. This time, the Cats had no trouble coming back.

Kentucky won 90-89 in overtime after overcoming a 16-point halftime deficit, tying the school record the largest comeback in school history. They did it while playing shorthanded. Lamont Butler was sidelined with an ankle injury and Kerr Kriisa suffered a broken foot in the middle of the game, forcing Jaxson Robinson to play point guard. He was magnificent, nailing a couple of threes and scoring 18 points, while Andrew Carr poured in 19 points and seven rebounds.

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Lamont Butler is Perfect vs. Louisville

Louisville turned its season around against Kentucky. They did it in a loss (as usual) thanks to an outstanding game from Lamont Butler. The Kentucky point guard knocked down six three-pointers to score a career-high 33 points in the 93-85 win. He was a perfect 10-10 from the field. Only two other players in Kentucky basketball history had better shooting performances, Rodney Dent (12 of 12 vs. Morehead State in 1993) and Kenny Walker (11 of 11 vs. Western Kentucky in 1986).

Kentucky Wins Shootout vs. Florida

The first SEC game of the season was a banger. Florida looked like a future Final Four team at Rupp Arena. The Gators knocked down a dozen threes and shot 55% from the field, but it wasn’t enough to keep up with the Cats. Kentucky hit 14 treys and made 57.8% of their field goals.

All five Kentucky starters scored in double figures, but it was Koby Brea off the bench that provided the most firepower. The Dayton sharpshooter made 7-9 three-pointers to score 23 points in a 106-100 win.

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Jaxson Robinson goes Nuclear at Mississippi State

It took a little longer than most would’ve liked for Mark Pope to secure his first true road win. The Wildcats got bullied inside against Clemson, then lost a foul-fest at Georgia. There was pressure to perform well against a Top-15 Mississippi State team and Jaxson Robinson delivered in Starkville.

Robinson shot the lights out, knocking down 7-10 three-pointers in a 27-point performance. Amari Williams did Amari Williams things, finishing with 10 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists. Otega Oweh chipped in 15 points and eight boards in a 95-90 Kentucky win.

Underdog Kentucky Takes Down Tennessee Twice

We don’t need to talk about what happened in Indianapolis. Mark Pope had starters sidelined when the Cats took down the Vols in Rupp and Knoxville as underdogs.

The first victory was a coaching masterclass. Kentucky dared Tennessee to shoot threes. They happily obliged and it was a hilarious catastrophe. The Vols’ 45 three-point attempts were the most ever by a Kentucky opponent. They only hit 11 as Zakai Zeigler and Chaz Lanier combined to go 4-21 from downtown.

Tennessee was ranked fifth when they made the trip to Rupp just a few weeks later. The Cats shot 50% from the field and got a much-needed boost off the bench from the two Kentucky kids. Trent Noah and Travis Perry combined to go 5-7 from three in the 75-64 win.

Otega Oweh Oklahoma Game-Winners

If every game was against Oklahoma, Otega Oweh would be National Player of the Year. Some players struggle in homecomings. Oweh was a heartbreaker against his former team.

No. 00 scored Kentucky’s final 18 points in Norman, including the game-winning floater with six seconds on the clock. He was a man possessed. Oklahoma was out for blood in a revenge match at the SEC Tournament. They nearly escaped with a win, erasing a 10-point deficit with 1:20 on the clock to take the lead. They gave Oweh too much time, who hit the game-winner with less than a second to play.

In two games against his former team, Oweh had 55 points and two-game winners.

Kentucky Punches Sweet 16 Ticket

There was a weight on the shoulders of Big Blue Nation. It had been five long years since Kentucky sniffed the NCAA Tournament. The Cats suffered two heartbreaking losses to double-digit seeds in the final years of John Calipari. Mark Pope had never won an NCAA Tournament game, yet his biggest fans were starving for two. It may not have always felt like it, but the Cats made it look easy.

It was clunky at times, but Oweh tallied 20 points as the Cats ran away with a 19-point victory over Troy in the opening round. Kentucky was an underdog in the second round, playing in a pro-Illinois arena, when the Wildcats won in uncharacteristic fashion. The Kentucky defense blitzed the Fighting Illini, stealing 14 passes and turning those into 29 points. Koby Brea poured in 23 points to end the Cats’ lengthy Sweet 16 drought with an 84-75 victory.