WATCH: Mark Pope Previews SEC Play Ahead of Opener vs. Undefeated Florida

by:Nick Roush•01/02/25•

RoushKSR

Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope yells to his players during the second half against the Colgate Raiders at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images — Kentucky head coach Mark Pope, via Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Kentucky is preparing to play in the greatest conference in the history of college basketball. That might be slightly hyperbolic, but not really. The SEC is loaded. There’s no way around it.

Opening league play against an undefeated Florida team feels appropriate. Kentucky punched above its weight with a couple of comeback victories over Duke and Gonzaga. They came back down to Earth with a dominant defeat at the hands of Ohio State. You can expect more ups and downs from Kentucky during SEC play.

“We’re going to have all of the emotions,” Mark Pope said on Thursday. “We’re going to feel like the greatest team ever and the worst team ever. But it’s just the nature of the deal… The trick is when we have those emotional swings, how fast can we get back to constructive?”

These Wildcats have shown a real knack for responding to adversity in real-time. The trick will be for this team to remain consistent from game to game. Mark Pope is well aware that SEC play is going to be a grind.

“We have all the emotions in the game and our guys are pretty good about taking frustration and turning it into fight, spitting it out. That’s the challenge and it’s going to be a challenge for every team in this league,” said Pope.

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“There will be big huge swings in this conference season this year. That’s something we’ve talked about from day one and it’ll be something we get to experience more and more as we go through the season.”

That’s just a small snippet of what Mark Pope had to say in a conversation with the media Thursday morning at Rupp Arena. Check out the entire press conference on the KSR YouTube Channel.

More Kentucky News and Views on the KSR YouTube Channel

Kentucky Sports Radio has expanded its coverage of the Wildcats in the most ridiculous manner possible on our YouTube Channel. Here you will be able to find interviews with coaches and players, as well as commentary from the KSR crew. From Rapid Reactions following big events to our lengthy lineup of live shows, subscribe to the KSR YouTube Channel to stay up to date on everything happening around the Big Blue Nation.