Checking the boxes: Mark Pope already tied a school record by winning another rivalry game

DrewFranklinKSR

mark-pope-food-city-center — Kentucky basketball coach Mark Pope during the NCAA college basketball game against Tennessee on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025, in Knoxville, Tenn.

Mark Pope‘s first season hasn’t been perfect. The five losses weren’t much fun, especially that one to Vanderbilt last weekend. Sometimes, the team’s physicality and hustle can be frustrating, like when opponents have 18 offensive rebounds or when 50/50 balls are more like 25/75 balls due to effort. Still, despite a few nitpicky items that Kentucky fans are still getting used to in this new era, it has been an incredible ride through 20 games in Year 1 of Pope.

To use Mitch Barnhart’s “check the box” line from Pope’s introductory press conference, Pope checked another box on Tuesday, winning another top-15 matchup and beating another one of BBN’s bitter rivals. Pope’s Kentucky team is now 6-1 in games against top-15 teams, including wins against rival Duke, rival Louisville, rival Florida, and rival Tennessee.

The win in Knoxville was the Wildcats’ seventh Quad 1 win on its NCAA resume, the third-most of any team in college basketball. Not even Mitch Barnhart could’ve predicted a sweep of Duke, Gonzaga, Louisville, Florida, and Tennessee, yet Pope already brought several big-game wins to the Big Blue Nation.

Pope’s first team has been so good against ranked teams that he has already tied a school record for marquee victories before his first February on the job.

6 wins against the Top 15

Kentucky’s 6-1 record against ranked teams tied Tubby Smith’s 2002-03 team for the most regular-season wins against teams ranked in the Top 15 of the AP poll.

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2002-03
#12 North Carolina
#6 Indiana
#10 Notre Dame
#15 Alabama
#1 Florida
#3 Florida

2024-25
#6 Duke
#7 Gonzaga
#6 Florida
#14 Mississippi State
#11 Texas A&M
#8 Tennessee

As it stands now, Kentucky has three more top-15 games remaining this season: Tennessee again, the return trip to Alabama, and No. 1 Auburn at home.

Not to mention, another marquee game coming up on Saturday. Pope’s next opponent is unranked but it’s the game many fans want him to win most. Let’s hope he checks another box, the BIG box, the next time we see Kentucky.