More national love for Kentucky, now a title contender, and "relentlessly likable" Mark Pope

Kentucky fans are still on cloud nine after Tuesday night’s win over Duke. A lot of the national media is still buzzing about the Cats as well.

Kentucky headlines two pieces on ESPN and The Athletic this morning. Myron Medcalf weighed in on five popular early-season overreactions, with the first being that the Cats are a national championship contender. His verdict? It’s not an overreaction.

“It’s early. Very early. Let’s start there. But, at this point, the pool of potential title contenders — in a men’s college basketball climate that might not feature the same dominant UConn team we’ve seen over the past two seasons — is vast. On Tuesday night, Kentucky proved it belongs in that mix. That grind-it-out effort over a Duke team with three projected NBA draft lottery picks was impressive because of the way the Wildcats won. It was a battle down the stretch, and they made late plays to get the victory.”

Medcalf does point out some flies in the ointment. Thus far, the Cats seem to lack a go-to bucket-getter, which could doom them during a tournament run.

“But there are concerns. Kentucky does not yet have a player who can consistently get his own shot in clutch situations. The Wildcats will need that to make a Final Four run, it seems. Until then, they’re shooting at an excellent clip from the 3-point line, and they’re showing strong defensive capabilities. It appears Pope has the pieces to contend with the Wildcats, who might put the lukewarm ending of Calipari’s reign behind them.”

Speaking of Calipari, Medcalf says it’s too early to judge his tenure at Arkansas. The Razorbacks haven’t looked great so far, due in part to injuries, but Medcalf says those injuries highlight another issue: depth.

“But college basketball is also a long, five-month affair, and Arkansas has only nine standout players when fully healthy. Those injuries are an ominous sign for an already shorthanded crew. Calipari has talent in Fayetteville — he just might not have enough to get this group to the finish line. Which is why the early critiques of this team seem reasonable. Arkansas might not have the depth to reach its ceiling over the next 30-plus games.”

“Mark Pope is relentlessly likable, which means Kentucky basketball has become likable”

Over at The Athletic, Joe Rexrode took a break from writing about college football to share his thoughts on Kentucky Basketball, specifically Mark Pope. After watching the Champions Classic, Rexrode said that Pope makes the Cats — traditionally one of the sports’ biggest villains, especially under John Calipari — hard to root against.

“Hating Kentucky isn’t cool or fun anymore because Kentucky’s coach is both,” Rexrode wrote. “Mark Pope is relentlessly likable, which means Kentucky basketball has become likable. Adjust accordingly.”

Rexrode details all of the likable things about Pope: his history with the program as a player, the fact that he wasn’t Kentucky’s first choice, his calm demeanor, and above all, his really fun brand of basketball.

Word from inside the program is that he’s as lacking in self-importance as he appears to be publicly. He’s emphasizing outreach to former players. He’s honoring history, showing his team clips of legendary Duke-UK matchups stretching back to the 1970s before Tuesday’s tilt.

The fun of Pope is in the basketball itself. This roster, which was completely empty when he arrived, is not loaded with first-round picks. But it’s well-constructed. The Wildcats play a five-out system built around cutting, passing and long-range shooting. It’s a joy to watch. And to hear coached.

The Athletic

Rexrode also wrote about how that’s a major shift from John Calipari’s days in Lexington and how Cal is now doing in Fayetteville, but I’ll direct you to The Athletic for more.