Kentucky basketball has a new leader, for the first time since 2009. Mark Pope is now the head coach at Kentucky, after leading BYU to the NCAA tournament this past season. Pope is a name that many Kentucky fans are familiar with, as he was a member of the 1996 team under Rick Pitino that won a national championship. Some Kentucky fans may have doubts about Pope's success as the team's coach, but here are three bold predictions about the upcoming season for Pope's Wildcats.
Kentucky will make the NCAA tournament
Pope may not have the cachet that John Calipari had, but the man can coach. That shouldn't be a question. He found success at BYU, where he guided the program from a mid-major to a high-major conference in 2023. In the Cougars' inaugural season as a Big 12 conference member, the Cougars won 23 games and made it to the NCAA tournament. Pope also had success at Utah Valley before leaving for Provo.
One knock against Pope is that he's not won in the NCAA tournament. He has gone twice at BYU, but got bounced both times in his first game. That will change at Kentucky. Pope will make the NCAA tournament in his first season with the Wildcats, and that in itself will be a major feat. Kentucky basketball has lost a good amount of its stellar recruiting class, and at least two current players have left the program for either the NBA Draft or transfer portal. Pope will do a fantastic job putting the pieces together this offseason, and the Wildcats will find themselves back in March Madness for 2024-25. Be patient, Wildcats fans. The wins will come in the NCAA tournament, just not quite yet.
Pope will keep two of the team's blue chippers
Kentucky basketball had yet another stellar recruiting class coming in for 2024, when John Calipari still led the team. The Wildcats nabbed six ESPN Top 100 players, including five-star Jayden Quaintance. The Wildcats have lost some of the power of that class, as three players have decided to opt out of their letters of intent, per USA Today. Quaintance is one of them.
Pope has his work cut out for him, to rebuild that roster. He will be able to hang on to at least two of the remaining players that are still committed to Kentucky. At the time of writing, Kentucky still has commitments from Billy Richmond, Boogie Fland and Travis Perry. Pope will keep at least two of them, due to the fact that Kentucky has several million dollars committed to the NIL collective at the school. It's a bold prediction, but certainly one that can come true. Kentucky basketball fans are absolutely thirsting for a championship, and Pope will have the resources to go get some guys that can help the program.
There's one more bold prediction to be made, though, that may be the most ambitious of all.
Pope will be SEC Coach of the Year
If the stars align, Pope takes a Kentucky basketball team to the NCAA tournament after losing so much of its roster in his very first season. That should be enough in itself to make Pope the SEC conference coach of the year. It may not be, but it should certainly warrant some consideration for the head coach.
Many fans and critics are underestimating Pope, but it is important to note that the coach will have more NIL money at his hands than most other head coaches in the country. Pope had to manage a roster at BYU, that comprised of players who were either members of the Church of Latter Day Saints, or willing to accept the rules that come with playing for a school that has that religious affiliation. Pope simply knows how to find the right guys to mold and fit into his program. At Kentucky, he will have more resources, and more of a name behind him. Kentucky is one of the few blue blood programs in college basketball, and has eight NCAA tournament championships to prove it.
Time will tell if Pope is able to make some of these predictions come true. Kentucky basketball fans are clearly hoping to see much success from their new coach.
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