WATCH: Mark Pope talks finals, Ohio State, injuries, and basketballs

Kentucky leaves for New York on Thursday, which is normally the day Mark Pope holds his weekly press conference, so Pope met with reporters a day early to talk about the matchup vs. Ohio State in the CBS Sports Classic, among other topics.

During the 20-minute conversation, Pope discussed…

• How his team is currently focusing on finals
• Thoughts on Ohio State, a “formidable opponent” and Saturday’s “epic clash” in Madison Square Garden
• Lamont Butler’s incredible performance vs. Louisville
• Whether or not college basketball needs a uniform basketball (asked by Steven Peake, of course)
• Kentucky’s plans in New York City
• The latest on Lamont Butler and Kerr Kriisa’s injuries
• His thoughts on the Rupp Arena sit vs. stand debate

We’ll be rolling stories out all afternoon, but you can watch the entire press conference below.

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