Kentucky

Mark Stoops is longest-tenured active coach in SEC. See how his tenure stacks up in league

Published

2 years ago

June 11, 2024

Mark Stoops is longest-tenured active coach in SEC. See how his tenure stacks up in league

LEXINGTON — When legendary Alabama coach Nick Saban retired in January, it had a small — but not direct — connection to Kentucky.

With Saban stepping down, UK’s Mark Stoops moved to the top of a list: longest-tenured active coach at the same SEC school. Stoops wrapped up his 11th season with the Wildcats last fall. He’s the first Kentucky coach to be on the job for more than a decade.

As he gears up for Year 12 in Lexington, where does Stoops rank all time among SEC coaches in seasons, victories and more?

Here’s where Stoops stacks up in conference history — and how much higher he might rise up those various lists:

Seasons coached (SEC schools only)

per Sports-Reference.com

1. Bear Bryant: 33 seasons (eight at Kentucky from 1946 through 1953; 25 at Alabama from 1958 through 1982; tenure at Texas A&M from 1954 through 1957 not included as Aggies were not yet member of SEC)

T2. Vince Dooley: 25 (Georgia, 1964 through 1988)

T2. Ralph Jordan: 25 (Auburn, 1951 through 1975)

T2. Johnny Vaught: 25 (Ole Miss, 1947 through 1973; Vaught retired after the 1970 season but returned as Ole MIss’ interim coach for the final eight games in 1973 after firing of Billy Kinard)

5. Steve Spurrier: 23 (12 at Florida from 1990 through 2001; 11 at South Carolina from 2005 through 2015)

T6. Wally Butts: 22 (Georgia, 1939 through 1960)

T6. Nick Saban: 22 (five seasons at LSU from 2000 through 2004; 17 at Alabama from 2007 through 2023)

8. Bobby Dodd: 19 (Georgia Tech, 1945 through 1963; Georgia Tech left the SEC to become an independent after 1963 season, with Dodd continuing to coach program until retiring following the 1966 campaign)

9. Charlie McClendon: 18 (LSU, 1962 through 1979)

10. Phillip Fulmer: 17 (Tennessee, 1992 through 2008)

11. Johnny Majors: 16 (Tennessee, 1977 through 1992)

T12. Doug Dickey: 15 (six seasons at Tennessee from 1964 through 1969; nine at Florida from 1970 through 1978)

T12. Mark Richt: 15 (Georgia, 2001 through 2015)

T14. Robert Neyland: 14 (Tennessee, 1933 through 1952; did not coach in 1935 or 1941 through 1945; Neyland also was Tennessee’s coach from 1926 through 1932, prior to the SEC’s first season in 1933)

T14. Houston Nutt: 14 (10 at Arkansas from 1998 through 2007; four at Ole Miss from 2008 through 2011)

T14. Tommy Tuberville: 14 (four at Ole Miss from 1995 through 1998; 10 at Auburn from 1999 through 2008)

T17. Bernie Moore: 13 (LSU, 1935 through 1947)

T17. Dan Mullen: 13 (nine at Mississippi State from 2009 through 2017; four at Florida from 2018 through 2021)

T17. Jackie Sherrill: 13 (Mississippi State, 1991 through 2003; tenure at Texas A&M from 1982 through 1988 not included as Aggies were not yet member of SEC)

T17. Frank Thomas: 13 (Alabama, 1933 through 1946; Thomas also was Alabama’s coach in 1931 and 1932, prior to the SEC’s first season in 1933; Alabama did not field a team in 1943 because of World War II)

T21. William Alexander: 12 (Georgia Tech, 1933 through 1944; Alexander also was Georgia Tech’s coach from 1920 through 1932, prior to the SEC’s first season in 1933)

T21. Pat Dye: 12 (Auburn, 1981 through 1992)

T21. Harry Mehre: 12 (Five seasons at Georgia from 1933 through 1937; seven at Ole Miss from 1938 through 1945; Mehre also was Georgia’s coach from 1928 through 1932, prior to the SEC’s first season in 1933; Ole Miss did not field a team in 1943 because of World War II)

T21. Les Miles: 12 (LSU, 2005 through 2016)

T25. Billy Brewer: 11 (Ole Miss, 1983 through 1993)

T25. Mark Stoops: 11 (Kentucky, 2013 through 2023)

How much higher could Stoops climb?

When Stoops takes the sideline for Kentucky’s opener against Southern Miss on Aug. 31, he’ll become the 25th coach in league history with at least a dozen seasons under his belt. Over the years, Stoops has been approached multiple times by other schools gauging his interest to take over their programs. And Stoops, of course, could choose to retire whenever he wants.

Using the most recent contract he signed with the university as a guide, Stoops will remain in charge of the Wildcats through at least the 2030 campaign. That would be his 18th at UK, making him only the 10th coach in conference history to reach that mark. It also would put him alongside McClendon for the ninth-most seasons as an SEC coach.

If Stoops remains the coach through the end of his current deal, which ends June 30, 2031, he would be just shy of his 64th birthday.

Games coached (only games as coach at an SEC school included)

per Sports-Reference.com

1. Bear Bryant: 375 (287 at Alabama, 88 at Kentucky)

2. Nick Saban: 299 (235 at Alabama, 64 at LSU)

3. Vince Dooley: 288 (all at Georgia)

4. Steve Spurrier: 285 (150 at Florida, 135 at South Carolina)

5. Ralph “Shug” Jordan: 265 (all at Auburn)

6. Johnny Vaught: 263 (all at Ole Miss)

7. Wally Butts: 235 (all at Georgia)

8. Bobby Dodd: 205 (all at Georgia Tech)

9. Phillip Fulmer: 204 (all at Tennessee)

10. Charlie McClendon: 203 (all at LSU)

11. Mark Richt: 196 (all at Georgia)

12. Johnny Majors: 186 (all at Tennessee)

13. Houston Nutt: 173 (123 at Arkansas, 50 at Ole Miss)

14. Tommy Tuberville: 170 (125 at Auburn, 45 at Ole Miss)

15. Doug Dickey: 168 (103 at Florida, 65 at Tennessee)

16. Dan Mullen: 164 (115 at Mississippi State, 49 at Florida)

17. Jackie Sherrill: 152 (all at Mississippi State)

T18. Robert Neyland: 148 (all at Tennessee)

T18. Les Miles: 148 (all at LSU)

20. Pat Dye: 142 (all at Auburn)

21. Mark Stoops: 138 (all at Kentucky)

How much higher could Stoops climb this season?

Even if Stoops’ (and UK’s) bowl streak ends at eight this fall, the team still will have 12 games in 2024. That’s good enough to move Stoops’ games-coached figure to 150, passing Neyland, Miles and Dye to rise to 18th on this list.

How much higher could Stoops climb before end of his career?

Without speculating about bowls or other postseason contests, Stoops is guaranteed to coach in 12 games per season. If he’s around through the end of his contract after the 2030 campaign, that’s 84 contests (12 games per season for the next seven seasons). By then, Stoops would have surpassed the 200-game mark — a number only 10 coaches in league history have reached. All told, Stoops would have coached in at least 222 games by that point, which would rank eighth in the SEC’s annals.

Victories in SEC regular-season games (including SEC championship games)

per 2023 SEC football media guide

1. Bear Bryant: 159 (137 at Alabama, 22 at Kentucky)

2. Nick Saban: 156 (126 at Alabama, 30 at LSU; Saban had 129 on-field wins in conference contests at Alabama, but program was forced to vacate five victories — including three in SEC games — from the 2007 season because of NCAA violations)

3. Steve Spurrier: 131 (87 at Florida, 44 at South Carolina)

4. Johnny Vaught: 106 (all at Ole Miss)

5. Vince Dooley: 105 (all at Georgia)

T6. Ralph “Shug” Jordan: 98 (all at Auburn; Jordan had 97 on-field SEC wins but was awarded 1975 victory over Mississippi State via forfeit because of NCAA violations committed by MSU)

T6. Phillip Fulmer: 98 (all at Tennessee; Fulmer had 97 on-field SEC wins but was awarded another via forfeit after NCAA forced Alabama to vacate eight victories and its tie versus Tennessee in 1993)

8. Mark Richt: 85 (all at Georgia)

9. Wally Butts: 67 (all at Georgia)

T10. Tommy Tuberville: 64 (52 at Auburn, 12 at Ole Miss)

T10. Les Miles: 64 (all at LSU)

T12. Charlie McClendon: 62 (all at LSU; McClendon had 60 on-field SEC wins at LSU but was awarded victories over Mississippi State, via forfeit, in 1975 and 1976 as a result of NCAA violations committed by MSU)

T12. Robert Neyland: 62 (all at Tennessee)

14. Frank Thomas: 59 (all at Alabama)

15. Kirby Smart: 58 (all at Georgia)

16. Johnny Majors: 57 (all at Tennessee)

17. Dan Mullen: 54 (33 at Mississippi State, 21 at Florida)

18. Houston Nutt: 52 (42 at Arkansas, 10 at Ole Miss)

19. Doug Dickey: 49 (28 at Florida, 21 at Tennessee)

20. Pat Dye: 48 (all at Auburn)

21. Jackie Sherrill: 43 (all at Mississippi State; Sherrill had 42 on-field SEC wins at Mississippi State but was awarded another via forfeit after NCAA forced Alabama to vacate eight victories in 1993)

22. Gus Malzahn: 40 (all at Auburn)

23. Urban Meyer: 39 (all at Florida)

24. Gene Stallings: 38 (all at Alabama)

25. Ray Graves: 36 (all at Florida)

26. Mark Stoops: 35 (all at Kentucky)

How much higher could Stoops climb this season?

Not counting the 2020 campaign, when the SEC played a conference-only slate because of the coronavirus, Kentucky’s hovered around .500 (4-4) in league play each season since its bowl streak began in 2016. During that span, UK has gone 5-3 twice (2018 and 2021), 4-4 on two other occasions (2016 and 2017) and 3-5 three times (2019, 2022 and 2023).

For consistency’s sake, let’s say Stoops’ troops go 4-4 again in 2024. That would up his win total in conference games to 39, tying him with Meyer for 23rd all time.

How much higher could Stoops climb before end of his career?

If UK keeps at its current pace of four SEC wins per season — what likely will become an increasingly difficult feat with blue bloods Oklahoma and Texas joining the conference this fall, and the near certainty a nine-game conference slate is coming in the not-so-distant future — for the next seven years (through the conclusion of Stoops’ latest contract agreement), that’s 28 victories. That would increase Stoops’ SEC win tally to 63, one ahead of McClendon and Neyland for 12th in league history. And it also would put him just one victory shy of breaking into the top 10, tying Miles and Tuberville at 64.

Victories (overall as coach at an SEC school)

per 2023 SEC football media guide

1. Bear Bryant: 292 (232 at Alabama, 60 at Kentucky)

2. Nick Saban: 249 (201 at Alabama, 48 at LSU; Saban had 206 on-field wins at Alabama, but program was forced to vacate five victories from the 2007 season because of NCAA violations.)

3. Steve Spurrier: 208 (122 at Florida, 86 at South Carolina)

4. Vince Dooley: 201 (all at Georgia)

5. Dan McGugin: 197 (all at Vanderbilt)

6. Johnny Vaught: 190 (all at Ole Miss)

7. Ralph “Shug” Jordan: 176 (all at Auburn; Jordan had 175 on-field wins but was awarded 1975 victory over Mississippi State via forfeit because of NCAA violations committed by MSU)

8. Robert Neyland: 173 (all at Tennessee)

9. Phillip Fulmer: 152 (all at Tennessee; Fulmer had 151 on-field SEC wins but was awarded another via forfeit after NCAA forced Alabama to vacate eight victories and its tie versus Tennessee in 1993)

10. Mark Richt: 145 (all at Georgia)

11. Wally Butts: 140 (all at Georgia)

12. Charlie McClendon: 137 (all at LSU; McClendon had 135 on-field wins at LSU but was awarded victories over Mississippi State, via forfeit, in 1975 and 1976 as a result of NCAA violations committed by MSU)

13. Mike Donahue: 122 (99 at Auburn, 23 at LSU)

T14. Johnny Majors: 115 (all at Tennessee)

T14. Frank Thomas: 115 (all at Alabama)

16. Les Miles: 114 (all at LSU)

17. Tommy Tuberville: 110 (85 at Auburn, 25 at Ole Miss)

18. Doug Dickey: 104 (58 at Florida, 46 at Tennessee)

19. Dan Mullen: 103 (69 at Mississippi State, 34 at Florida)

T20. Pat Dye: 99 (all at Auburn)

T20. Houston Nutt: 99 (75 at Arkansas, 24 at Ole Miss)

22. Harry Mehre: 98 (59 at Georgia, 39 at Ole Miss)

23. Kirby Smart: 94 (all at Georgia)

24. Bernie Moore: 83 (all at LSU)

25. Jackie Sherrill: 75 (all at Mississippi State; actual on-field record at MSU was 74-76-1 but was awarded 1993 victory over Alabama via forfeit after NCAA violations committed by Crimson Tide)

26. Mark Stoops: 73 (all at Kentucky)

How much higher could Stoops climb this season?

Stoops is a lock to pass Sherrill this season, given that UK needs only three wins to lift him past the former Mississippi State coach. But to catch Moore this season would require 10 victories. Given that Kentucky only has reached that mark four times in program history, it’s a better bet Stoops will usurp Moore some time in 2025.

How much higher could Stoops climb before end of his career?

Stoops is averaging 6.6 wins per season for his 11-year tenure. But throw out the first three seasons (2013-15) — when he still was rebuilding the program — and focus on the last eight. In that time, the Wildcats have won 61 games, an average of 7.6 victories per season. For sure, the program is in a better place than when he arrived. But the SEC is about to get even more taxing with Oklahoma and Texas joining the fray.

For this exercise, let’s forecast a low-win mark of six, a high-water mark of 10 and alternating seven- and eight-win seasons for the remainder of Stoops’ current contract. That adds an additional 53 wins to his total, which not only puts him over the century mark — his 126 victories at that point would leave Stoops just outside the top 12 all time in the nation’s fiercest conference.

Not bad for a kid from Youngstown, Ohio.

“Growing up in Youngstown has much to do with the identity of myself and anybody that comes from there,” Stoops said in September 2022, just after breaking Bryant’s school record for victories. “It’s a very unique place, great pride coming from that area, and a toughness. It’s the Rust Belt, blue-collar, steel-mill town.”

Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.

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Spotted lanternfly confirmed in 8 new Kentucky counties. About invasive insect

Published

6 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Spotted lanternfly confirmed in 8 new Kentucky counties. About invasive insect

The invasive spotted lanternfly has been confirmed in eight new Kentucky counties in 2025, bringing the total to 16.
Native to China, these insects pose a significant threat to agriculture, including orchards, vineyards, and various trees.
Spotted lanternflies damage plants by feeding on them and leaving behind a waste product that encourages mold growth.
Officials advise residents to inspect their property for the bugs and their egg masses, especially around dusk.
Sightings in Kentucky should be reported to the Department of Forestry or the University of Kentucky.

Entomologists have confirmed spotted lanternflies in eight more counties in Kentucky during 2025, according to a recent announcement.

These include Fayette, Franklin, Harrison, Pendleton, Robertson, Scott, Trimble and Woodford. The invasive insect was first found in the commonwealth in October 2023, in Gallatin County, and spread to counties including Boone, Campbell, Carroll, Grant, Henry, Kenton and Owen in 2024.

Here’s what to know.

What is a spotted lanternfly?

In short, the spotted lanternfly is a moth-like bug that’s not supposed to be in the U.S. The bugs tend to be red with black and/or white spots on their wings, according to the Department of Agriculture.

They’re native to China and first showed up in the U.S. in 2014. They’ve mostly been found in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, the USDA reports, but they’ve also been found in Indiana, Ohio and West Virginia.

One of the things that makes them so risky as an invasive species is that the eggs are thought to travel well, on everything from packages being shipped to moving boxes on U-Hauls.

Why are spotted lanternflies dangerous?

Spotted lanternflies can pose a major threat to the things such as orchards, vineyards and logging facilities. How? They tend to swarm and devour what they land on quickly, causing serious damage.

Their “waste product” — known as “honeydew” — can also attract molds and other bugs that further damage plants.

They pose a threat, according to the USDA, to everything from almonds, apples and hops to maple, oak and pine trees and more.

Is the spotted lanternfly in Kentucky?

Yes. The Kentucky Office of the State Entomologist said in a post to Facebook that the spotted lanternfly was confirmed in eight new commonwealth counties during 2025.

The species has been located in 16 counties total — Boone, Campbell, Carroll, Fayette, Franklin, Gallatin, Grant, Harrison, Henry, Kenton, Owen, Pendleton, Robertson, Scott, Trimble and Woodford.

What to do about spotted lanternflies

The biggest thing you can do, according to the USDA, to help control the spread of the spotted lanternfly is to keep an eye out for them.

It is recommended that you inspect trees, plants and other surfaces on your property for bugs. It’s best to do that around dusk, the USDA says, because that’s when bugs tend to congregate, making them easier to spot.

Signs that a plant may be infected include the plant oozing, becoming moldy or developing a fermented odor, according to the USDA. You may also see a “buildup of sticky fluid” beneath the infected plant.

The agency also recommends you keep an eye out for egg masses on everything from plants to boxes that hold things such as holiday decorations and often sit unattended for much of the year. If you spot an egg mass, you should scrape it “into a plastic zippered bag filled with hand sanitizer, then zip the bag shut and dispose of it,” according to the USDA.

In Kentucky, you should report sightings to your Department of Forestry regional office or reach the UK at 859-257-7597 or forestry.extension@uky.edu. UK experts also ask that anyone who finds one send a picture with the location to reportapest@uky.edu.

Contributing: Mary Ramsey, The Courier Journal. Reach Marina Johnson at Marina.Johnson@courier-journal.com.

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Kentucky vs Missouri score today, UK basketball game updates

Published

18 hours ago

January 7, 2026

Press Room

Kentucky vs Missouri score today, UK basketball game updates

LEXINGTON — Every time Jaland Lowe steps on the court, be it a practice or a game, is like rolling the dice. Or, as he described it during a news conference Tuesday morning, “it’s a risk” whenever he suits up for Kentucky basketball because of his ongoing shoulder injury.

He originally injured the shoulder during the Blue-White game on Oct. 17. He’s reinjured it twice more since then.

Expected to be the Wildcats’ starting point guard this season, Lowe has yet to appear in the lineup since the regular season tipped off. Each of his seven outings this season has been in a reserve role.

Stream Kentucky vs. Missouri

With the injury hanging over his head like a guillotine that could end his 2025-26 campaign at any moment, Lowe has had to learn to play a new way.

“I don’t know if y’all will notice on TV as much or in person,” he said. “But sometimes when you’re on the court, you can realize I’m not doing some things that I would love to do in the moment, just as a competitor and as a fighter. I can’t do some of those things. I have to pull back sometimes just to not put myself at a huge risk.”

Lowe acknowledged having to rein in his aggressive tendencies is “frustrating” to no end.

“But if I wanna play, I gotta do what I gotta do,” Lowe said.

Lowe and the rest of his teammates aim to help Kentucky bounce back from last week’s loss at Alabama. UK has that opportunity tonight, hosting Missouri at Rupp Arena in the Wildcats’ SEC home opener.

UK (9-5, 0-1 SEC) and Missouri (11-3, 1-0) are unranked in the two major polls (USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches and AP Top 25).

Courier Journal sports reporter Ryan Black and columnist C.L. Brown are at Rupp Arena and will have live updates throughout the game — here and on X, formerly known as Twitter — and complete coverage after. You can follow them on X at @RyanABlack and @clbrownhoops.

Follow along with live updates from today’s game between the Wildcats and Tigers below:

TV channel: ESPN2
Livestream: Fubo (free trial)

The game between the Wildcats and Tigers will air nationally on ESPN2.

Authenticated subscribers can access ESPN2 via TV-connected devices or by going to WatchESPN.com or the WatchESPN app.

Those without cable can access ESPN2 via streaming services, with Fubo offering a free trial.

Stream Kentucky vs. Missouri on ESPN2

Betting odds: Kentucky is a 12 ½-point favorite (-112) on DraftKings, which set the over/under at 149 ½ points (-115/-105).

Tom Leach (play-by-play) and Jack Givens (analyst) will have the UK radio network call on 840 AM in Louisville and both 630 AM and 98.1 FM in Lexington.

You can also listen online via UKAthletics.com.

Oct. 17: Blue-White game (Click here to read takeaways from the intrasquad scrimmage.)
Oct. 24: exhibition vs. Purdue (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 78, Purdue 65
Oct. 30: exhibition vs. Georgetown University (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Georgetown 84, Kentucky 70
Nov. 4: Nicholls (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 77, Nicholls 51
Nov. 7: Valparaiso (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 107, Valparaiso 59
Nov. 11: at Louisville (KFC Yum! Center) | SCORE: Louisville 96, Kentucky 88
Nov. 14: Eastern Illinois (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 99, Eastern Illinois 53
Nov. 18: vs. Michigan State (Champions Classic; Madison Square Garden, New York) | SCORE: Michigan State 83, Kentucky 66
Nov. 21: Loyola University Maryland (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 88, Loyola Maryland 46
Nov. 26: Tennessee Tech (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 104, Tennessee Tech 54
Dec. 2: North Carolina (Rupp Arena; ACC/SEC Challenge) | SCORE: North Carolina 67, Kentucky 64
Dec. 5: vs. Gonzaga (Bridgestone Arena; Nashville) | SCORE: Gonzaga 94, Kentucky 59
Dec. 9: North Carolina Central (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 103, North Carolina Central 67
Dec. 13: Indiana (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 72, Indiana 60
Dec. 20: vs. St. John’s (CBS Sports Classic; State Farm Arena, Atlanta) | SCORE: Kentucky 78, St. John’s 66
Dec. 23: Bellarmine (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 99, Bellarmine 85
Jan. 3: at Alabama | SCORE: Alabama 89, Kentucky 74
Jan. 7: Missouri (Rupp Arena), 7 p.m.
Jan. 10: Mississippi State (Rupp Arena), 8:30 p.m.
Jan. 14: at LSU, 7 p.m.
Jan. 17: at Tennessee, noon
Jan. 21: Texas (Rupp Arena), 7 p.m.
Jan. 24: Ole Miss (Rupp Arena), noon
Jan. 27: at Vanderbilt, 9 p.m.
Jan. 31: at Arkansas, 6:30 p.m.
Feb. 4: Oklahoma (Rupp Arena), 9 p.m.
Feb. 7: Tennessee (Rupp Arena), 8:30 p.m.
Feb. 14: at Florida, 3 p.m.
Feb. 17: Georgia (Rupp Arena), 9 p.m.
Feb. 21: at Auburn, 8:30 p.m.
Feb. 24: at South Carolina, 7 p.m.
Feb. 28: Vanderbilt (Rupp Arena), 2 p.m.
March 3: at Texas A&M, 7 p.m.
March 7: Florida (Rupp Arena), 4 p.m.

Record: 9-5 (0-1 SEC)

Denzel Aberdeen (guard, senior)
Collin Chandler (guard, sophomore)
Mouhamed Dioubate (forward, junior)
Brandon Garrison (forward, junior)
Braydon Hawthorne (forward, freshman)
Walker Horn (guard, senior)
Andrija Jelavić (forward, sophomore)
Jasper Johnson (guard, freshman)
Jaland Lowe (guard, junior)
Malachi Moreno (center, freshman)
Trent Noah (forward, sophomore)
Otega Oweh (guard, senior)
Reece Potter (forward, junior)
Jayden Quaintance (forward, sophomore)
Zach Tow (forward, senior)
Kam Williams (guard, sophomore)

Click here to view the Tigers’ complete schedule.

Want to learn the Tigers’ roster?

Click here for player bios and more.

Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.

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Mo Dioubate wishes Kentucky’s scouting report was better at Alabama: ‘The way they played, I was kind of expecting that’

Published

2 days ago

January 6, 2026

Press Room

Mo Dioubate wishes Kentucky’s scouting report was better at Alabama: ‘The way they played, I was kind of expecting that’

If you thought Kentucky’s approach to its matchup at Alabama was bizarre, you’re not alone — Mo Dioubate, the former Crimson Tide forward under Nate Oats, was left scratching his head on the way home from Tuscaloosa, too. How did the Wildcats get caught with their pants down on so many wide-open looks for a team leading the country in three-point volume? How did they get shut down offensively with the Tide ranked among the worst high-major defenses in the country? There was plenty to dislike about the 89-74 loss, especially for a guy who was in that other locker room a year ago for three successful scouting reports leading to three wins in Mark Pope’s debut season in Lexington.

He was excited to hand his old coach and teammates a loss as a friend-turned-enemy. Instead, they were able to get the last laugh, making juggling the emotions of his homecoming and the frustrations of a loss tough.

“It was quite fun (being back), a little emotional. That’s a school that I played for for two years, where I created a lot of bonds with people over there,” he told KSR on Tuesday. “It was fun. I was looking forward to that game for a long time. We didn’t get the result we wanted, but just being back there in that environment felt good. … I was really, really excited going into that game. I’ve been looking forward to that game all year.”

As for what went wrong in Tuscaloosa that prevented the blue and white from leaving Coleman Coliseum with a victory? He brought up the scout multiple times after allowing 38 attempts from deep with 15 makes for a team coming off a 54-attempt, 22-make effort against Yale just days before.

They inexplicably played right into Alabama’s strengths.

“I feel like the game could have been a lot better if we had made more of an emphasis on the scout,” Dioubate said. “The way they played, I was kind of expecting that in a way because I played for Oats at Alabama. I was expecting a lot of threes, a lot of flare screens going into that game. I feel like we could have emphasized that more, being on the catch. Knowing that they’re an isolation team, being in the gaps early to build out, I think there’s a lot of things we could have done better.”

The film breakdown wasn’t fun once the Wildcats returned to Lexington, as Pope made clear on his radio show Monday evening. That includes his own personal coaching evaluation.

“There were some brutal moments in the film session, where you know you just have to watch yourself — me included — not perform the way that you expect to, where you don’t live up to your standard,” he said.

What got under Dioubate’s skin the most during the postgame autopsy after the dust settled? Well, again, the scout.

“The most frustrating part was seeing that we could have done better at the scouting report. It felt like they were doing the same thing over and over,” he continued. “Just thinking we could have done a lot better on the defensive side. With the attention to detail and the personnel, we should have taken it more seriously.”

What did he learn about this group in Tuscaloosa? That attention to detail could have been better when coming up with the scout.

“I didn’t learn something that I didn’t know already. It was just the attention to detail. I feel like we could have emphasized that a lot more in the scout. Some of the plays they were doing, the offensive movements, the peel to a flare (screen) — I feel like we could have studied it a little more and emphasized it more. I think that would have been a major difference in the game.”

It wasn’t just finger-pointing for Dioubate, either — he knows he’s partially to blame, too. No one crushed it for Kentucky on both sides of the floor across 40 minutes of game action.

He could’ve done more to will the Wildcats to victory, setting the tone early before the wheels fell off without a serious shot to recover.

“As far as me, I think I could have impacted the game more — I had a mismatch on me the whole game,” he added. “I felt like I could have been more dominant there. The game was just going really fast and we were just trying to stop the bleeding. We could have done better in-game adjustments when they started making all those threes. I think there was a lot that we could have done better for this game.”

You may have heard Nate Oats’ analysis of the Wildcats’ struggles after the matchup, saying he knew he could exploit Kentucky’s questionable passing tendencies — particularly in the frontcourt.

The way he saw it on film going into the game, this team struggles to move the ball, despite its misleading assist rates when considering high-major competition vs. cupcakes. More specifically, the bigs don’t look to pass once they’re fed the ball in the post.

“Our thing was, they throw it in and these guys aren’t trying to pass,” Oats said. “They’re trying to score the ball.”

Pope didn’t necessarily agree with the opposing coach’s assessment of his bigs, but Dioubate himself doesn’t mind the criticism.

“That’s just the kind of guy he is,” he said of his former coach. “He’s super intelligent when it comes to knowing basketball. He does his research a lot. He’s probably better than a lot of people in the country. That’s what he does. I didn’t know that, honestly. I was kind of surprised hearing that. I think him saying that allowed us to see what we could work on better. From the post scoring and all of the options from there.”

Needless to say, it’s clear Dioubate wanted this one against his former school.

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