Following a frustrating finish to the 2023-24 college basketball season, John Calipari stepped down as the Kentucky Wildcats head coach after 15 wildly successful years. He might've only won one national championship with Kentucky, but Calipari went 410-123 as a Wildcat overall, and consistently had his team in championship contention.
The Wildcats wound up replacing Calipari with Mark Pope, a former Wildcat who was coming off a strong season as a head coach for BYU. Calipari's decision to step down did not devastate Wildcats fans but they certainly didn't appear to be thrilled with the Pope hire.
It's safe to say Pope's debut season has been good enough to silence even the harshest of critics, and Saturday's game shows exactly why.
In his 1st season as head coach of Kentucky, Mark Pope has tied the NCAA record for Top-15 wins in a single season.
— Rupp To No Good Podcast (@RuppToNoGood) March 8, 2025
8 this season. pic.twitter.com/gRzwoqt2Bw
Following their win over No, 15 Missouri on Saturday, the Wildcats now have eight wins against teams ranked in the top 15 in the country. That not only is something Calipari never did in his entire tenure in Kentucky, but it tied an NCAA record. Not too shabby for a head coach still getting his feet wet in his new position.
Mark Pope sure looks like a home run hire for Kentucky
The Wildcats might only be in seventh place in the SEC after this win, with a 10-8 conference record and a 21-10 record overall, but their play against high-end competition has been extraordinary all season long. They have signature wins against Duke, Gonzaga, Florida, and a pair of victories against Tennessee. All five of those wins came against those schools when they were considered top-eight programs in the country.
They've absolutely taken some tough losses, but their play against high-end competition has to have the fan base feeling excited for what's to come. In order for the Wildcats to pose as any sort of NCAA Tournament threat, they're going to have to beat good teams. They've proven time and time again that they can hang with the country's elite.
On the flip side, Calipari's Arkansas Razorbacks are just 8-10 in the SEC and 19-12 overall. They've also notably taken their share of losses against top 15 competition (although they did beat Kentucky earlier this season). An NCAA Tournament berth might not be coming his way.
The Wildcats probably aren't a title team this season, but Pope leading his team to this feat that only three schools have matched in his debut season is awfully impressive and should have Wildcats fans excited about what's to come. Things should only improve from here.