Pope had to Change Plans, but it’s Working for Kentucky

When Kentucky fans booed the Cats off the court in a 35-point loss to Gonzaga, it’s safe to say things were not going according to plan. Despite the injuries and disappointing losses in non-conference play, the Cats are right where we expected them: playing Florida for the top spot in the SEC.

Hopes were high ahead of the season, and amplified significantly by the blowout win over top-ranked Purdue in an exhibition. Like all of us, Mark Pope admits that he had much different plans for how the season would unfold, but the funny thing about plans is that they often change.

“We don’t look anything like we imagined. This is not the plan. This was not the scheme. This was not how this was conceived at all,” he admitted to Seth Davis and Andy Katz on the HoopsHQ podcast. “But that’s the beauty of a season, that’s the beauty of the journey. It’s adjusting and figuring things out, and guys stepping up, and guys maturing, and guys leaning on each other.”

It’s not just what happened. It’s how this team looked. That sword cuts both ways. They way they’ve figured things out is not what Kentucky fans are accustomed to seeing.

“We’re not doing this the traditional Kentucky way. It’s probably not the traditional Kentucky season. With all that said, I feel bad for you if you’re missing what’s happening right now because it’s awesome. I love stories. I love redemption. I love overcoming, and what these guys are doing right now, I wouldn’t trade anything,” said Pope.

Kentucky Keeps Finding Ways to Overcome

Slow starts defined this Kentucky basketball team. Early on, they dug themselves into holes that were too deep. After overcoming double-digit deficits against LSU and Tennessee (twice), those callouses have transformed into war scars from successful battles.

“I think you earn belief, and our guys have just figured out a way to do it.” Pope continued: “There’s probably not a lot that can happen to us in a game that hasn’t happened before. We’re not really scared of it. There’s probably a lot of things people can say about us that they didn’t say about us the week before or two weeks ago, so we know we can handle it. Let’s go. When you come out the other side of those difficult moments, you come out different.”

This Kentucky team looks different. They’ve won eight of their last nine. It’s not just that Otega Oweh is playing like the Preseason SEC Player of the Year. Collin Chandler has been en feugo, Denzel Aberdeen has gotten comfortable leading the offense, and role players are rising to the occasion.

Kentucky is playing great basketball. They could’ve had too much of their own medicine in the middle of the hype surrounding Saturday’s game against Tennessee. Pope shared a message with his team prior to the game, one they clearly heard.

“This is only about us,” Pope told his team. “This is the story you guys are writing right now, and it’s a great story. I don’t want to put the book down. I’m loving every second of this. It’s nontraditional, but it’s special because they keep raising up and doing things people don’t think they can do and shouldn’t be able to do. It’s not the way we expected to do it. We’ve had to recreate everything, but it’s been pretty cool.”