The Kentucky basketball team fought back and posted another come from behind victory on Saturday. Kentucky downed Tennessee, 74-71, with members of the Wildcats' 1996 national championship team in the building.
Kentucky head coach Mark Pope was on that team. Pope opened up about what it meant to him to get the win on Saturday, surrounded by so many former teammates.
“I’m proud of our guys, man,” Pope said of his team postgame, per the Lexington Herald-Leader. “… And I talked to ’em right before. I said, ‘Guys, I know all this is going on, but this is not about 30 years ago. This is not about denim. This is not about anything except for the story that you guys are writing right now.’ Because the story that these guys are writing right now is awesome. It’s their story. And if you’re not enjoying it — if you’re not on this ride with us — I feel bad for you, because it just is what it is, man. “It might not be the normal way we do things here at Kentucky. But it’s pretty great.”
Kentucky has now won three in a row after defeating Tennessee. The Wildcats are 17-7 overall, and 8-3 in SEC play.
Kentucky basketball is heading in the right direction right now
The Wildcats started the season ranked in the top 25, but several disappointing losses dropped them from the rankings. Kentucky is likely headed back toward a national ranking as they look to extend their winning streak.
Kentucky trailed big at halftime to Tennessee. The Wildcats were down by 14, before storming back in the second half. Kentucky players say they weren't rattled after being that far behind at the break.
“It was good,” Kentucky star Otega Oweh said of the mood at halftime. “Because we’ve been here. So we know we can’t come into the locker room like, all down, depressed, or too rattled. Obviously, we had some adjustments that we had to do. And we did them. And that’s what our halftime looks like. It’s more just figuring out, you know, how we can fix it.”
The Wildcats look to win their fourth game in a row, when they play Florida on Saturday.
