The Kentucky Wildcats didn’t need much help getting past Colgate on Wednesday. Now, sitting on a 9-1 record, they have a crucial rivalry matchup with state neighbors Louisville Cardinals.
Mark Pope’s side will have homecourt advantage for one of the biggest games of the season. Needless to say, we’re talking about two programs that have absolutely no sympathy for one another.
This will be Pope’s first time coaching in this rivalry, and while this might be new to him, he fully trusts his veteran players to be up to the task of taking the Cardinals down, so he didn’t feel the need to emphasize what’s at stake on Saturday,
Mark Pope gets honest on his first game vs. Louisville
“The answer is probably no,” Pope said. “You probably have to experience it to do it (communicate). But, I am blessed with guys that are seasoned. I have guys that have played in big-time rivalry games so it’s not like a foreign concept to them. This is just a little level up.”
Kentucky head coach Mark Pope watches his team play against Lipscomb on Tuesday night, Nov. 19, 2024, at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky
“It’s exciting and awesome. We love it and we hate it and we all the things…I’m well-aware of the beauty of this rivalry,” he concluded.
Kentucky will have to turn to other players
The Wildcats are dealing with some injuries right now. Kerr Kriisa and Lamont Butler are out, and while Otega Oweh and Jaxson Robinson held their own, the coach acknowledged that he might need to turn to Travis Perry and Trent Noah more often:
“That’s gonna be a work in progress. They’re super talented players. I thought they made solid contributions tonight. It’s hard, you kind of want to put them in the game when there’s a real flow to it,” Pope said of his freshmen.
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Perry and Noah held their ground in their last outing, and given how shorthanded the Wildcats are right now, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise to see them log heavy minutes vs. the Cardinals.
