Mark Pope Coach of the Year hot take froze over in record time: Best memes, tweets

Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope has made a strong first impression in his first year at the helm in Lexington. His efforts (along with Arkansas' struggles) have helped Big Blue Nation quickly forget about the program's former longtime leader, John Calipari.

Pope's Wildcats have enjoyed a fast start this season. His success has reached a point where media pundits like ESPN's Jay Williams deemed him the favorite to earn national Coach of the Year honors. However, Kentucky's latest loss to Vanderbilt has effectively crushed the dream, and even the fans know it.

The Commodores' 74-69 upset victory over No. 9 Kentucky marked their second win against a top-10 opponent in one week. Conversely, the Wildcats suffered a second consecutive defeat at the hands of Vanderbilt, which has sounded the Pope alarms on X (formerly known as Twitter).

Mark Pope Coach of the Year hot take froze over in record time: Best memes, tweets

As one user perfectly encapsulates, Pope's Coach of the Year ship has officially sailed. A two-game skid, including a disappointing result versus Vanderbilt, all but squanders the sideline general's award hopes. Kentucky is 14-5 and .500 in conference play, shattering his case for the prestigious recognition.

Kentucky came out flat at Vanderbilt, followed by a catastrophic meltdown in the closing stages of the contest. That's undoubtedly a reflection of Pope and his team's preparation (or lack thereof). While he typically operates from a glass-half-full perspective, it's time to hold the players accountable.

The Wildcats' carelessness with the basketball led to their stunning collapse at the Memorial Gymnasium. They committed 17 turnovers compared to Vanderbilt's five. Moreover, the Commodores scored twice as many points off giveaways. After witnessing such sloppy hoops, the Kentucky faithful is biting its tongue instead of calling for Pope's job, but it's not easy.

For whatever reason, Kentucky can't beat Vanderbilt in football or basketball, even after a bye week. Could the extended rest be doing more harm than good? Regardless, Wildcats football head coach Mark Stoops caught a stray, thanks to Pope and Co.

If social media is any indication, Pope's honeymoon phase is over.