Kentucky
Mark Pope refuses to lower expectations at Kentucky: “We failed at our job last year”
If you ask almost any Kentucky fan, they’d say that year one of the Mark Pope era was a success. Kentucky tied an NCAA record for most wins against AP Top 15 foes, beat several rivals, and advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2019; however, Mark Pope was not satisfied. During his interview with Matt Jones on today’s Kentucky Sports Radio, he made it a point to say that his first Kentucky team failed to meet the mark.
“It’s Kentucky. Like, you know what, guys? I’m not going to be the guy who comes to Kentucky as the head coach and somehow lowers the expectations of this place. Man, we’re trying to win this whole thing. Like, we failed at our job last year.”
When Matt asked if he really believed that, Pope doubled down, drawing on his own experiences as a Kentucky fan after leaving the school as the captain of the 1996 national championship team and returning as its coach.
“One hundred percent. Listen, I know myself; for the last 30 years, I’ve been a die-hard Kentucky fan. If we didn’t win, I’m like, ‘What is wrong with that coach? Man, he can’t win at Kentucky!’ That’s what all my guys are saying to me every single day. And so, like, I’m not unrealistic. I understand the reality.”
You might think that after transitioning from fan to coach and learning the weight of the fanbase’s expectations, Pope would give himself some grace for not winning it all in year one. Quite the opposite. Pope said his first year on the job added more fuel to the fire. Since the season ended, Pope has revamped Kentucky’s roster with one of the top NIL budgets in the country, bringing in one of the best transfer portal classes that will join a talented group of incoming freshman and core returners like Brandon Garrison and Otega Oweh (assuming Oweh withdraws his name from the NBA Draft).
“We are blessed,” Pope said. “I’ll tell you the one thing that nobody in the world will deny, okay, that you can’t actually argue: we have the greatest fanbase in all of college basketball. There’s no one, any other fanbase, that would argue that. Nobody can argue that. And so that fanbase deserves the best of everything. And so you go down the list, and we’re trying to be the best at everything. And that’s what Kentucky is supposed to be; that’s what Kentucky has traditionally been.”
Pope feels obligated to the fans but also to his fellow former Kentucky players. He made a quick trip to New York on Tuesday, during which he spent some time with Karl-Anthony Towns, who has the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000. The two talked about legacy, specifically theirs as Kentucky Wildcats.
“I was just with Karl-Anthony Towns yesterday in New York, and that’s what he expects out of this joint. That’s what all our former players and former coaches [expect].”
Including John Calipari, the coach whom he replaced.
“You know what?” Pope said. “That’s what Cal expects. I mean, Cal is like, ‘Don’t you ruin my program. Man, that’s the best program in all of basketball.’”
Pope said at his introductory press conference that he understands the assignment of being Kentucky’s coach; after year one, he’s more motivated than ever to deliver.
Mark Pope’s interview on KSR
We’ll be rolling out highlights from Pope’s interview all day (week?) long, but you can listen to or watch it in its entirety below.
Subscribe to the KSR YouTube Channel for press conferences, interviews, original shows, fan features, and exclusive content.
GRAYSON, Ky. (WSAZ) – New information has been released in the search for a missing woman at Grayson Lake.
According to game wardens with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, Marly Kinney, 19, of Ashland, was last seen at Grayson Lake on Wednesday afternoon.
They say search efforts are focused on the water at this time and include Kentucky State Police aerial support, drones, boats, and K9 assistance.
Crews suspend search for missing teen for the night
The search is now into its third day, with officials saying on and off rain has hindered their search and that a group of 50 volunteers are walking the banks of the lake to help in the search.
Search and rescue boats have been seen at the lake as well.
Officials say there are still many questions, including if Kinney is still alive and where exactly she went missing.
They also say they’ve been using a variety of equipment, including sonar and thermal detectors, as well as helicopters and underwater drones.
WSAZ received a statement from Kinney’s family Friday afternoon:
“We are very appreciative of the absolute surplus of support from law enforcement, search and rescue, 1st responders, and all of the community and its volunteers that are here with us and for us searching for Marly. We do not even know how to express our absolute gratitude to you all. We continue to have faith she will be found and brought back to us. We know we have the very best people doing all they can to bring her home.”
Anyone with information is asked to call 911.
We are still working to get more information.
Previous coverage can be found here.
Copyright 2026 WSAZ. All rights reserved.
13 things more likely to happen than winning the Powerball jackpot
Hoping to win the Powerball jackpot? Here are 13 things more likely to happen than becoming an instant millionaire.
The Kentucky Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at Thursday, June 25, 2026 winning numbers for each game.
Cash Ball
02-08-24-32, Cash Ball: 09
Check Cash Ball payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 3
Evening: 6-3-0
Midday: 9-6-0
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 4
Evening: 5-7-6-0
Midday: 5-2-6-6
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Millionaire for Life
03-13-14-34-45, Bonus: 01
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Courier Journal digital producer. You can send feedback using this form.
On Thursday, Kentucky’s home and away SEC opponents for the 2026-27 season were revealed and on top of learning the three opponents who they will play twice, there are some very intriguing matchups. In conference play, Kentucky will face six teams who are among the top 25 in many preseason rankings.
In SEC play, Kentucky will play Tennessee, Vandy and Ole Miss all both home and away. The home matchups include Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, LSU, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Vandy. As for the road tilts, the Wildcats will face Florida, Georgia, Mississippi State, Missouri, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, Texas, Tennessee and Vandy. Let’s take a look at some interesting developments from the schedule release.
John Calipari returns to Rupp Arena (again)
In Calipari’s first year with Arkansas, he got the best of Kentucky when he came into Rupp Arena and left with a 10-point victory, a game where you could really feel the tension all game long in the building from Kentucky fans, which translated onto the court with the players. Last season, it was Kentucky who shocked everyone when they stole one on the road against a top 20 Arkansas team after a rough up-and-down season up to that point. Now, the two will face off again as Kentucky will look to get the win in Rupp and make sure Calipari doesn’t get two in a row in the building. It’ll be another highly-anticipated showdown.
Kentucky hits the road at Texas
This is shaping up to be a major challenge for Kentucky next season and may even end up being one of the biggest games of the season. Texas is seen by many as a clear top 10 team, with some even having them within the top five and when you combine that with the fact that the game is on the road, the Wildcats will have their hands full. The Wildcats fell to the longhorns in the 2024-25 season, and it’ll be a much stiffer challenge this time.
Which game could be a trap?
We don’t have the game-by-game dates yet, so it’s hard to say with a lot of confidence, but opponent-wise, Georgia could really give Kentucky fits. In Pope’s first year, his team struggled handling the physicality of the Bulldogs and now, they’ve retained one of their best guards for another year and have added physicality through the portal. Mike White’s teams love to make opponents uncomfortable and they could do that once again down in Athens. Another sneaky team to watch is Oklahoma, who will have very good guard play. Kentucky will face both teams on the road.
Overall, it’s a pretty fair SEC schedule for a Kentucky team who has the capability of a return to being atop the conference once again. Mark Pope has such a system-fit squad and he can do some damage in the SEC.
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