ESPN tabs Kentucky as an overachiever in Year 1 under Mark Pope
The dust is settling on Year 1 of the Mark Pope era at Kentucky, and even though it ended with a lopsided loss to Tennessee in the Sweet 16, the reviews are positive. Joe Lunardi tabbed Kentucky as an “overachiever” in Pope’s inaugural season as head coach, noting that Pope inherited a “genuinely unique situation” last April and still managed to bring change and winning back to the Bluegrass.
“For now, fans are likely to overlook the double-digit losses and sixth-place tie in the SEC in favor of huge victories over Duke, Gonzaga, archrival Louisville, Florida, and league rival Tennessee (twice),” he wrote. “That the Wildcats couldn’t take out the Vols a third time will sting for a bit — or until the next portal coup and Kentucky’s massive resources deliver a Final Four-capable roster.
“All of which could occur as soon as next season. In the meantime, the Wildcats’ passionate fans are more than happy to enjoy a papal (get it?) blessing.”
What about Pope’s predecessor, John Calipari? Lunardi gave Cal a “neutral” grade in his first season at Arkansas, opining that Calipari must take the Razorbacks to a Final Four for his tenure there to be considered a success. Lunardi gave the other SEC teams that lost this past weekend — Alabama, Tennessee, and Ole Miss — overachieving grades.
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Elsewhere at the Worldwide Leader, Jeff Borzello and Myron Medcalf outlined what’s next for each team that lost during the second weekend. Borzello says an impact point guard will be Kentucky’s top priority in the portal, especially after missing out on Donovan Dent, but the Cats have plenty of good pieces to build around.
“Numbers-wise, Kentucky is well-stocked. If Oweh returns and doesn’t enter the NBA draft, the Wildcats will have one of the best two-way guards in the SEC leading the way. As mentioned above, Chandler saw an increased role down the stretch of the season after Robinson’s injury and could return as a key player in the rotation. Travis Perry saw four starts late in the season. And Pope is bringing in Johnson and Lewis after landing Williams, a versatile wing, out of the portal. You obviously can’t turn down a player like Dent, but it will be interesting to see what happens to the rest of the group if someone of his caliber heads to Lexington.”
After seeing what Mark Pope managed to put together in such a short time frame last year, I can’t wait to see what he does with more time and resources in Year 2.
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