Ohio

Mark Pope explains what went wrong on defense against Ohio State

Published

12 months ago

December 24, 2024

Mark Pope explains what went wrong on defense against Ohio State

Kentucky dropped to No. 61 in the latest KenPom defensive efficiency ratings after allowing Ohio State to score 85 points on 56.6 percent shooting overall and 68.4 percent from two. It was an abysmal effort on that end of the floor — and that’s with the Buckeyes going just 4-15 from three after entering the matchup shooting 41 percent from deep as one of the best in college basketball.

Mark Pope said the team’s magic number to open the season was 39 percent, hoping to hold teams to that hit rate defensively throughout the year. After hitting that mark in the first six games of the year, the Wildcats have done it just once in the last six. They’ve regressed in a major way and the staff is now looking for answers during the time off with SEC play coming in January.

What is Pope’s best assessment of what went wrong in New York City?

“Defensively, we gave up 15 points on rejects alone,” the Kentucky head coach explained Monday evening during his call-in radio show. “It’s just so uncharacteristic for us, just going away from where we’re leading the ball screen, right? I had made a huge emphasis about pushing our bigs up to try and get a little bit more of a presence at the point of the screen. When you let teams reject, it’s the worst thing to do, to push up the bigs.

“Out of seven possessions, it was 15 points — all twos and an and-one, a perfect field-goal percentage. There was a lot we didn’t do well. A lot of things that are going to help us get better, and get better faster.”

He actually liked the way things started against the Buckeyes, holding firm in the first 10 minutes — plenty good enough to stay competitive while waiting for the offense to figure itself out. Then it was a disaster finish before halftime, then more of the same after the brea.

“It was interesting. We started the game well, we gave up an early three, but we were pretty solid-ish in the first 10 minutes, and then it started to get away from us,” Pope said. “There were a couple of real issues that we were struggling with. We were really struggling with — you know, it was very uncharacteristic of us, but we give up 15 points on rejects of high ball screens, which is exactly the opposite of what our defense is designed to do. That was really surprising. We took a bunch of different paths, but some of that — this is some that’s on me, some of that is my responsibility — is trying to solve some other things and push up our bigs. It gave us less security. And I was really surprised that we were having the issue we did.”

There were a number of reasons for it, not just one glaring weakness or culprit. You could call it an all systems failure on that end.

“We were getting beat going under on ball screens as the game went on. We threw out some zone, we blitzed some ball screens, but I was really surprised by that,” he said. “You’re just very much surprised that the issue actually arose. And it’s probably a bunch of stuff.

“It’s a little bit personnel, it’s a little bit us getting a little extended, it’s a little bit maybe being distracted by other things, maybe some foul issues, but that was clearly — ball screens was an issue for us throughout the night. (Bruce) Thornton was a major issue for us, for sure. And so those are two things that we were trying to address personnel-wise, and dedication-wise, this game-wise.”

Fortunately for the Cats, they have plenty of time to go back to the drawing board and get this thing right.

“We just have to come up with the right answers in the right amount of time.”

Source link

Related Topics:Featured Kentucky Basketball Mark Pope (91 - Newport Senior)

Click to comment

Ohio

Ohio Goes to the Movies announces lineup for free, yearlong statewide film festival

Published

4 hours ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

Ohio Goes to the Movies announces lineup for free, yearlong statewide film festival

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Ohio Goes to the Movies, the statewide film festival launching in February, is coming into focus. Organizers have released the initial schedule for the nearly yearlong event. Part of the state’s America 250 celebration, it will bring more than 280 screenings to all 88 counties. Each film is tied to the Buckeye State in some way, and all screenings are free.

“Ohio has played a significant role in the history of American film and continues to attract talent, productions and storytelling that resonate around the world,” Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said in a statement. “Ohio Goes to the Movies ensures that residents in every community can participate in the America 250 celebration and rediscover the films that connect us.”

From classic movies starring or made by Ohioans to Hollywood blockbusters shot in downtown Cleveland, the lineup highlights the depth of the state’s influence on the film industry. The festival is also meant to encourage movie fans to explore the state by attending screenings all over Ohio.

Here’s a list of events planned for Northeast Ohio’s seven-county region.

CUYAHOGA COUNTY

“Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” Feb. 12. Phoenix Theatres Great Northern Mall.

“Major League.” March 1. Cinemark Strongsville at SouthPark Mall.

“Draft Day.” March 1. Cinemark Valley View.

“Welcome to Collinwood.” March 12. Cleveland History Center.

“Major League.” April 5. Capitol Theatre.

“Cool Hand Luke.” April 12. Cedar Lee Theatre.

“Draft Day.” April 23. Atlas Cinemas at Shaker Square.

“Toy Story 2.” June 24. Chagrin Documentary Film Festival HQ.

“The Scarlet Letter.” July 11. Cleveland Silent Film Festival at Cleveland Public Library.

“Captain America: The Winter Soldier.” July 11. Great Lakes Science Center.

“More Than a Game.” Sept. 11. AMC Ridge Park Square.

“Superman.” Sept. 18. AMC Westwood Town Center.

“Passing Through.” Sept. 19. Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque.

“Kill the Irishman.” Oct. 6. Atlas Cinemas Lakeshore.

GEAUGA COUNTY

“A Christmas Story.” June 11. Mayfield Road Drive-In Theatre.

LAKE COUNTY

“White Boy Rick.” March 11. Regal Willoughby Commons.

“Superman.” April 8. Atlas Cinemas Great Lakes Stadium.

“Air Force One.” July 7. Atlas Cinemas Diamond Center.

LORAIN COUNTY

“The Princess Bride.” April 22. Apollo Theatre.

“The Hunger Games.” Sept. 18. Regal Cobblestone Square.

MEDINA COUNTY

“Major League.” March 7. Hickory Ridge Cinema.

“Draft Day.” Sept. 12. Regal Medina.

PORTAGE COUNTY

“Unstoppable.” Feb. 22. Atlas Cinemas Barrington.

“Dog Man.” March 8. The Kent Stage.

“The Philadelphia Story.” March 19. Kent State University Museum.

“A Christmas Story.” June 10. Midway Twin Drive-In Theatre.

SUMMIT COUNTY

“The Big Short.” Feb. 21. Regal Hudson.

“The Avengers.” April 12. Akron Civic Theatre.

“Howard the Duck.” May 21. The Nightlight Cinema.

“Down by Law.” June 13. Akron–Summit County Public Library Main.

For a complete guide, go to ohiogoestothemovies.org.

Source link

Ohio

Multiple homes destroyed by fire in Meigs County, Ohio

Published

16 hours ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

Multiple homes destroyed by fire in Meigs County, Ohio

POMEROY, Ohio (WCHS) — A fire destroyed one home and damaged two others Wednesday evening, but then rekindled early Thursday morning and destroyed another home, police said.

The fire was first reported just after 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday night in the 300 block of Wetzgall Street in Pomeroy, according to a press release from the Pomeroy Police Department.

According to police, the fire spread to the two homes on either side of the original home on fire. Firefighters contained the fire and saved the two surrounding homes, but the home that first caught fire was deemed a total loss.

Then, just after 3 a.m. on Thursday morning, the fire rekindled and spread to one of the other homes, resulting in a total loss of that home as well, police said.

Pomeroy police said both homes were occupied at the time of the fires, but all occupants of each home were able to exit their homes safely. Police also said that there were no reported injuries, though both families lost everything they owned due to the total losses of the homes.

The cause of the fire has not been determined, and the incident is still under active investigation by the Ohio State Fire Marshal’s Office, according to police.

Source link

Ohio

DOE aims to end Biden student loan repayment plan. What it means for Ohio

Published

1 day ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

DOE aims to end Biden student loan repayment plan. What it means for Ohio

The Department of Education has agreed to a settlement to end the Biden-era SAVE student loan repayment plan.
Over seven million borrowers currently on the SAVE plan will need to select a new repayment program if the court approves the settlement.
Ohio has about 1.7 million student loan borrowers and over $60 billion in debt. The average student loan debt in the state is approximately $35,072.

Student loan borrowers under the Biden-era student loan repayment plan, Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE), may soon have to select a new repayment plan after the U.S. Department of Education agreed to a measure to permanently end the program.

A proposed joint settlement agreement announced Tuesday between the DOE and the State of Missouri seeks to end what officials call the “illegal” SAVE program, impacting more than seven million SAVE borrowers who would have to enroll in another program. The settlement must be approved by the court before it can be implemented.

Ohio borrowers carry some of the nation’s highest student loan debt. Here’s how the proposed change could affect them.

What is the SAVE plan?

Originally known as REPAYE, the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan was created to deliver the lowest monthly payments among income-driven repayment programs. Under the Biden administration, it became the most affordable option for borrowers.

According to USA TODAY, the SAVE plan was part of Biden’s push to deliver nearly $200 billion in student loan relief to more than 5 million Americans. It wiped out $5.5 billion in debt for nearly half a million borrowers and cut many monthly payments down to $0.

But officials in President Donald Trump’s administration claim the Biden plan was illegal.

Why does the Department of Education want to end the SAVE plan?

The DOE says the SAVE plan aimed to provide mass forgiveness without congressional approval, costing taxpayers $342 billion over 10 years. In a press release, the Department said the administration promised unrealistically low payments and quick forgiveness without legal authority.

“The Trump administration is righting this wrong and bringing an end to this deceptive scheme,” Under Secretary of Education Nicholas Kent said in a release. “Thanks to the State of Missouri and other states fighting against this egregious federal overreach, American taxpayers can now rest assured they will no longer be forced to serve as collateral for illegal and irresponsible student loan policies.”

If the agreement is approved by the court, no new borrowers will be able to enroll in the SAVE plan. The agency says it will deny any pending applications and move all SAVE borrowers back into other repayment plans.

Borrowers currently enrolled in the SAVE Plan would have a limited time to select a new repayment plan and begin repaying their student loans.

The DOE adds that it is working on the loan repayment provisions of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act, which created a new Income-Driven Repayment plan called the Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP), that will be available to borrowers by July 1, 2026.

How many people in Ohio have student loan debt?

Numbers from the Education Data Initiative show that there are about 1.7 million student loan borrowers in Ohio, carrying over $60 billion in debt. The average student loan debt is approximately $35,072.

Ohio also ranks No. 10 among the states with the most student debt, according to personal finance site WalletHub.

How much money does Ohio get from the Department of Education?

The DOE budget for Ohio for fiscal year 2025 is estimated to be more than $5.65 billion, The Columbus Dispatch previously reported.

President Trump announced his intentions to eliminate the Department of Education earlier this year, meaning that Ohio could lose more than $5 billion in annual funding.

Source link