For the first time at Kentucky, Mark Pope did not understand the assignment in loss to Coach Cal

Yes, Mark Pope is the man for the job at Kentucky. He’s the shot in the arm this program needed as it turned the page on John Calipari’s run in Lexington. It’s the right voice who pushes the right buttons and has overwhelmingly exceeded early expectations with a roster he put together on short notice and no recruiting base. If you were to tell me the Wildcats would have six top-15 wins overall and big-name victories against Duke, Gonzaga, Louisville, Florida and Tennessee, ranked inside the top 15 to open the month of February, I’d probably kiss you on the mouth.

If you’re on the fence — or one of the dorks waiting for every misstep with a told-you-so because you like living in misery — may I suggest listening to Coach Cal, of all people? Sounds crazy, I know, but hear him out for just a second.

“What Kentucky is doing and how they’re doing it — Mark Pope is doing a great job. Not a good job, a great job,” Calipari said. “What they did today? You know what, we got ’em today. Move on, next game. It’s one game. If anybody takes it more than that, you’re crazy. It’s one game. If I take it any different with my team, I’m crazy. We just needed to win, folks. Whether it was Kentucky or anybody, we just needed to win.”

You with me? Now is not the time to convince yourself all of this has been a sham and the Wildcats are frauds and Pope just isn’t the guy because he’s too nice or whatever. Take a deep breath and have a nuanced conversation with me.

For the first time since he took the job in April, Mark Pope did not understand the assignment coaching against the Razorbacks.

On the day he was introduced as head coach, Pope made it clear he embraced future criticism that would come his way, joking that anything fans said wouldn’t come close to what his ’96 national championship teammates would tell him along the way.

“They will destroy me every time something goes wrong,” he said.

If that’s the case, the group chat was certainly popping into the early hours of Sunday morning after watching Calipari run circles around him on his home floor. In an all-time Rupp Arena environment with students camping out since Friday night, celebrity appearances ranging from Tubby Smith to Jasper Johnson to Randall Cobb to Tim Couch, he personally came up short. As Arkansas gained confidence both on the floor and as a staff on the bench, the moment felt too big for Kentucky, something we haven’t seen a whole lot of this season. Where they answered the bell over and over again in the biggest spots, they unraveled in this one, watching that one-point halftime deficit jump out to double digits by the first TV timeout of the second half. It would never get back below six points the rest of the way, the Razorbacks controlling the game until the final buzzer with no real punch back. Whenever the Wildcats tried, they came right back with a bigger response.

Taking on a team that had scored 70-plus points in a single SEC matchup, Kentucky gave up 89 points on 55/52/75 splits with 13 made 3-pointers after coming in making 7.3 per game. Defense was once again a serious issue, leading to Pope admitting he “probably (needs) to be more bold” and “take some more shots and be aggressive.”

Considering its importance, this was the game to do that.

The rotation was a disaster with some absolutely maddening lineups, extended stretches of non-factors playing and must-haves sitting — more talk about “we ended up with three tired guys all at the same time” and general wear and tear in a league where everyone is tired and banged up. Arkansas is down to eight scholarship guys and a starting point guard out for the year, but Johnell Davis (38), DJ Wagner (37) and Adou Thiero (34) all seemed to do just fine with their minutes. A team coached by the guy who played for Rick Pitino should not have issues with in-game load management.

Considering its importance, this was the game to give your best five all they could handle and win.

Even the little things like Trent Noah staying in sweats all night after he played his best basketball of the season in the upset win in Knoxville, his role seeing a significant jump the past couple of games, and he’s delivered. “He’s played well and there’s definitely space for him and it’s my job to find the right space,” Pope said.

Again, considering its importance, this was the game to find the right space. Not that Noah was the difference in a win or loss, but if we’re gonna rattle off all the woulda, shoulda, couldas, it’s on the list that is unfortunately far too long.

Not often did Kentucky feel exceptionally prepared the past couple of years under Coach Cal and his staff. Tonight, Arkansas felt more prepared and better coached, executing a tremendous game plan and playing with a want-to you felt from the opening tip. There was an investment on the Razorbacks’ side you just didn’t feel with the Wildcats, and that’s unbelievably disheartening considering, again, this game’s importance.

Whether Arkansas stunk or became world-beaters, Big Blue Nation wanted this game more than just about any other on the calendar. They poured everything into this one, circling it from day one, some dropping hundreds of dollars if not thousands to attend this once-in-a-generation moment of Calipari walking back through that door. It was an atmosphere we’ll all remember for a long, long time, but unfortunately, that electricity will come alongside a massive grey cloud with a double-digit home loss to the guy you replaced.

1-5 against unranked Power Four schools is not good enough, obviously, but that 6-1 record against top-15 opponents helps counter that. Losing this one, though, is a pill BBN did not even imagine it’d have to swallow. This crowd showed up looking for a celebration to dance on Coach Cal’s grave and left with the Hall of Famer tossing one last fastball for old times’ sake.

Pope’s assignment was to hit that pitch out of the park. Instead, he struck out swinging, receiving some boos of his own on his way out after his predecessor earned his fair share walking in.

“It never ceases to amaze me. It was unbelievable,” Pope said. “So much juice in the gym. It’s BBN and a place like no other.”

That moment proved to be too big.