Kentucky head coach Mark Pope has put together an impressive debut season at the program after inheriting a team that had zero returning scholarship players following John Calipari's departure to Arkansas. Pope and the Wildcats earned the No. 3 seed in the Midwest region and learned that they would be playing the first-round game against the No. 14 seed Troy in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Wildcats won that game, 76-57, and then defeated the No. 6 seed Illinois, 84-75, to advance to the program's first Sweet 16 since the 2018-19 season.
When Pope was speaking on his radio show prior to the team's trek up north, the coach offered to pay for fans' gas money in an effort to get as many Kentucky fans as possible packed into the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. While there are no specifics as to how many students actually reached out to Pope, it was reported from a Kentucky spokesperson that Pope "helped out around eight different groups." This was another kind gesture from Pope after the former team captain on the 1996 championship team at Kentucky paid for ice cream following Kentucky's home win over Georgia State on Nov. 29.
Although the amount of money Pope contributed is unknown, he has more than made up the difference after leading Kentucky to the Sweet 16. While the Wildcats struggled to put Troy away in the first round, the team's efficient shooting and improved defense were more than enough to advance. Kentucky still managed to put up 84 points against the Illini, but 14 steals and 26 points off 14 Illinois turnovers highlighted the team's defensive intensity throughout the game.
Mark Pope is doing just fine with Sweet 16 appearance in first season at Kentucky
By leading Kentucky to the Sweet 16, Pope picked up an automatic one-year contract extension and an additional $50,000 bonus. That extra year is expected to be worth $6.25 million, with $4,687,500 guaranteed, and will keep him at Kentucky through 2030. Pope had never won an NCAA Tournament game prior to this season and now he has done so with a brand new roster.
Kentucky was one of six teams coming into the season with zero returning minutes from a year ago. Of those other five teams (Louisville, USC, West Virginia, DePaul, California), only Louisville made the NCAA Tournament, and the Cardinals lost in the first round to Creighton in a game that was never in doubt after the first half. Pope has not only led Kentucky to the Sweet 16 in his first season, but he has accomplished the feat with two of his guards (Kerr Kriisa, Jaxson Robinson) sidelined for much of the year, as well as additional injuries to wing Lamont Butler. A Sweet 16 rematch awaits against No. 2 seed Tennessee, a team that Kentucky has already defeated twice this season. Forcing the Volunteers into three-point shooting will be crucial once again, given Tennessee shot a combined 14-of-63 from deep in those two games.
Pope may have had some uncertainty regarding the number of fans that would take him up on the gas money offer. However, a Sweet 16 appearance, accompanied by an extra year and bonus money added to his contract, show that things are just getting started for Pope in Lexington as he looks to turn Kentucky back into what it once was. Year 1 is certainly off to a fantastic start and should be recognized as a remarkable coaching job all around, regardless of Kentucky's results from here on out.