Pope had a solid debut season with the Wildcats, leading them to a 24-12 record (10-8 in the conference) and a Sweet 16 participation for the first time since the 2018-19 season.

The Wildcats should build on that positive campaign and aim higher in the upcoming NCAA season, more so after Pope demonstrated that he could take a big program and make it relevant again.

The Wildcats might be a serious national championship contender if all the pieces click. Pope has a good squad, and his coaching abilities proved to be right for the squad. Moreover, one college basketball analyst pointed out a notable factor that helped Pope thrive last season.

Analyst links John Calipari’s exit to Mark Pope’s early success with Kentucky

Andrew Stefaniak of Kentucky Wildcats on SI wrote that John Calipari’s departure amid a tumultuous time for Kentucky helped Mark Pope elevate the team’s level of performance fast.

He compared Kentucky’s situation to the Alabama Crimson Tide football team, which saw legendary coach Nick Saban go when they were a top program in college football, but has failed to find success under Kalen DeBoer. Pope, instead, inherited a team that hadn’t played up to its standards for multiple years.

“Calipari leaving the Kentucky program in a place where fans had forgotten what postseason success looked like might have helped Coach Pope build something special because he hasn’t been looking over his shoulder worried about his job,” he said.

The 2025-26 season might be one to remember for the Wildcats, but time will tell if Pope can take them to the promised land.

The rivalry between these two historic programs goes beyond any single sport. Now one of the WNBA’s top stars, Sophie Cunningham once played for Missouri in college basketball, so she fully understands what it means to come out on top in the Border War.

Known for her active presence on social media, the former Phoenix Mercury player took to her official X account (formerly Twitter) to show support for the Tigers — delivering a strong message to their upcoming rival.

“I hate kansas. (Expletive) THOSE UGLY BIRDS. go get em tigers. It’s game day baby!!!!,” Cunningham stated via @sophaller.

Sophie Cunningham’s time at Missouri

As a hometown hero for the Missouri Tigers, Sophie Cunningham cemented her legacy as one of the program’s most decorated athletes during her four-year collegiate career. In a remarkable run of 129 consecutive starts, Cunningham showcased her versatility and consistent production, averaging 17.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game.

Her time at Mizzou was highlighted by numerous accolades, including being named a Third-team All-American and a three-time First-team All-SEC selection. She finished her career as the Tigers’ all-time leading scorer, leaving an indelible mark on the program before moving on to the WNBA.

The importance of winning the rivalry game

After a gritty opening win, the Missouri Tigers and head coach Eliah Drinkwitz face a crucial challenge in the historic rivalry against the Kansas Jayhawks. This isn’t just another game; it’s a chance to build momentum and prove that the Tigers are a force to be reckoned with.

A victory at home would not only give Mizzou a critical 2-0 record in the young season, but it would also send a powerful message to the college football world. The Tigers must lean on their home-field advantage and channel the intense energy of their fans to secure a second consecutive win and set the tone for what they hope will be another successful campaign.

Pope led his team to a 24-12 record and an NCAA tournament run that ended in the Sweet 16 when the Tennessee Volunteers sent them home with a clear 78-65 win.

He is set to build on that performance and take the Wildcats further in the national tournament, but he may have some big questions to answer before the start of the season in the final three months of the year.

Analyst says Mark Pope still has to make an important roster decision

Andrew Stefaniak of “Kentucky Wildcats on SI” raised one question for Pope ahead of his second season in front of the Wildcats: Who will be the starting power forward? There are two clear options: Andrija Jelavic and Mo Diubate.

Stefaniak writes that the players have different main skillsets, with Jelavic being more of an offensive player and Dioubate thriving on defense. However, they aren’t bad on their “weak” side, as the Croatian forward is a solid defender who can rebound and block shots, while Dioubate isn’t a slouch with the ball in his hands. The writer suggests that Jelavic might be the one taking the nod on Pope’s starting five this season.

“While Jelavic is better on the offensive end than he is on the defensive end, he is no slouch on defense, and this is why he could get the nod in the Mark Pope offense,” he wrote. “He is a sharpshooter from three, and at his size, with his ability to handle the ball, Coach Pope might want him to start.”

This is a good problem to have for Pope, but time will tell who he chooses between these two intriguing prospects.

He had huge shoes to fill, but Pope didn’t back down from the challenge and got to work to make his team a competitive one. Amid doubts about his ability to lead one of the most traditional programs in college basketball, Pope proved doubters wrong and led the team to eight top-15 wins and their first trip to the Sweet 16 since 2019.

They couldn’t move past the Tennessee Volunteers, but Pope demonstrated that he wasn’t a slouch. If anything, he’s just starting to make a name for himself in this industry.

Jay Bilas details what makes Mark Pope a “home run” for the Wildcats

In a conversation with KSR on the Sources Say Podcast this week, Bilas lauded Mark Pope’s mindset after many people doubted him. He didn’t arrive at the best situation following Calipari’s departure, but did a terrific job with the tools he was given.

“I don’t know that you can ever feel like anyone’s a fit for that job — it’s such a demanding job, as you guys know,” Bilas said. “There are so many great candidates for a job like Kentucky, but Mark was a home run. And I think 501 days ago, like most people, I didn’t know what to expect other than it was going to be a positive environment and a really good offense, because Mark’s one of the best offensive coaches in the game.”

With Pope about to enter another season in charge of the program, the Wildcats are expected to reach the next level and make more noise in the 2025-26 NCAA season.

Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals have revolutionized the way athletes view their careers and how programs recruit top prospects. Pope works for one of the most iconic programs in college basketball, admitting that all the changes present challenges for coaches.

Ahead of his second season with the Wildcats, following a 24-12 (10-8 in conference) record, Pope is preparing his players for both on- and off-court challenges.

Mark Pope gets honest about challenges of NIL era

Analyst Jeff Goodman shared a quote from Mark Pope regarding the new era of the sport. Pope believes that all the changes, including the transfer portal and the NIL deals, have added more challenges to coaches and players.

“I believe it’s the greatest time to be a college coach,” Pope said. “It’s the most challenging, but also the most rewarding. The players need us more than ever before.”

Pope returned to his alma mater for the 2024-25 season. He took over from John Calipari, but filling the shoes of his predecessor isn’t the only challenge he’s faced so far.

The Wildcats remain a dangerous team in the SEC, but it remains to be seen if they are able to have a deep run in the NCAA tournament.

Pope took over from legendary John Calipari last season, and his first season in front of the team was solid. They posted a 24-12 (10-8 in the conference) record, in a season that ended with a 78-65 loss to the Tennessee Volunteers.

After eight weeks of summer practice, Pope decided to give his players some free time before the semester starts. However, not every player has paid attention to his indications, and one has had trouble keeping himself out of the gym.

Mark Pope says one player is reluctant to leave the gym

During an appearance on the “Eye on College Basketball” show with Matt Norlander, Pope said Florida Gators transfer guard Denzel Aberdeen hasn’t stopped practicing, even after Pope’s clear instructions.

“We tried to kick everybody off campus. To try to get everybody off campus to go home and refresh.” Pope said. “And then I’m sitting here in the office, and Denzel Aberdeen is down there in a full sweat getting a ton of work done. Reece Potter is out there getting shots. I mean, you think about DA. He’s got a national championship ring on his finger, and in our one week off, where we’ve told these guys they’re banned from the gym, these guys are still breaking in. That’s the type of group we have.”

Aberdeen averaged 7.7 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game last season, helping the Gators win it all in a magical season.

After an 11-year career, whose last team was the Los Angeles Clippers, Wall couldn’t make a return to the league and decided to look for new challenges. Added to his work with Amazon, the former Washington Wizards star is planning to return to Kentucky to help Mark Pope prepare the new generation of players.

Wall played one season with the Wildcats, averaging 16.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game, shooting 46.1% from the field, 32.5% from deep and 75.4% from the free-throw line. He’s now set to help Pope and teased a potential return to Lexington as soon as this fall.

John Wall plans to return to Kentucky

While John Calipari isn’t in front of the team anymore, Wall still has a strong relationship with the school. He said they allowed him to fulfill his dreams and now wants to give back.

“Kentucky’s always home for me. There’s always love. That’s the school I went to, the jersey I put on,” said Wall. “They gave me the opportunity to reach one of my goals and dreams in life to play college basketball, and play on one of the biggest levels for one of the best schools in the country, and a good opportunity to go to the league. So yeah, I’m definitely coming back.”

Additionally, Wall said Pope extended him an invitation to work out with the new guys.

“Mark Pope wrote me this year to ask if I’d come down for the summer if I get the opportunity to play some pick-up or just work out with some of the guys, and I’m gonna try to find time,” Wall told Jones.

John Wall was one of the greatest players in program history, and it’s refreshing to see him go back to his home and give back to the Wildcats after all these years.

It’s been 10 years since his head coaching journey began with Utah Valley, where he posted a 77-56 record in four seasons. Pope took over Brigham Young in 2019, leading them to a 110-53 record, which opened the doors to join the Wildcats.

Kentucky lost to the Tennessee Volunteers in the Sweet 16, ending a solid first season for Pope. The challenge should be harder now, and Pope is well aware that they need to aim higher.

Mark Pope reflects on his tenure with Kentucky

Discussing his first 500 days in front of the program on the “Eye On College Basketball” podcast with Matt Norlander, Pope admitted he couldn’t get the job done as he set a clear goal: winning.

“If I was going to grade myself, I’d grade myself a B or B-. Our job was to go win it. We didn’t get that done. I felt like we did a lot of things really, really well that I’m very proud of,” Pope said. “I felt like, as a head coach, I failed our team a little bit in terms of picking and choosing the places where we’re going to have a relentless standard where anything less than that is going to be successful.“

“One of our big keys going into this season is that we’re going to have a standard that we will refuse to accept anything less in some facets of the game that are controllable. I think we are going to do a much better job with that,” he added.

Kentucky has renewed expectations, and Pope is hungry to go further than last season.

Pope and Pitino go a long way back, as they first crossed paths at Kentucky after a young forward joined the Wildcats that Pitino coached to the national championship in the 1995-96 campaign.

Now in his second season leading his alma mater, Pope is aiming to take the team to another title, but they’ll have to overcome obstacles along the way. St. John’s will be one of their toughest opponents of the season, and Pitno sees this matchup as a special duel between a coach and his son.

“I think, it’s no different than coaching against your son, who obviously stirs different emotions,” Pitino told CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jon Rothstein in Monday’s episode of the “Inside College Basketball Now” podcast.

Mark Pope asserts dominance over Rick Pitino

Mark Pope is confident that he can beat his former coach at anything. During Thursday’s episode of the “Eye on College Basketball” podcast, Pope told analyst Matt Norlander that, regardless of the game or situation, he would always beat Pitino. Asked about which coach spent more on their roster ahead of the 2025-26 campaign, Pope didn’t hesitate.

“It doesn’t matter what question you ask me about Coach P,” Pope said. “I’m going to have done it more and bigger and better coach.”

Pope and Pitino couldn’t lead their respective squads to the national title last campaign, but they have renewed expectations for 2026.

Mark Pope will take on his second season with the Wildcats with high expectations after posting a 24-12 (10-8 in the conference) record in 2024. Among their additions, Kentucky fans will have Arizona State transfer center Jayden Quaintance.

He initially committed to Kentucky during John Calipari’s tenure before heading to ASU, where he played his freshman season and averaged 9.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 2.6 blocks and 1.1 steals per game. Quaintance is already drawing a lot of attention, with people predicting a solid sophomore season for the Cleveland native.

Analyst believes Jayden Quaintance will have big role in Kentucky

Andrew Stefaniak of the Kentucky Wildcats on SI expressed his excitement about Jayden Quaintance’s potential with the Wildcats. On Monday, the analyst made a strong prediction about the player’s second college season.

“Quaintance is going into his second season in college hoops, and this season at Kentucky, he is going to be special. It would not come as any kind of surprise for Quaintance to average a double-double while leading college basketball in blocks. The 6’10 center is truly this good. If Quaintance can continue to improve his jump shot and become a threat from deep, he will be one of the best players in all of college basketball. There is a reason why Quaintance is projected to be a top ten pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, and he will show why this season in Lexington,” he wrote.

The Wildcats could be a threat to the top teams in DI next season, and Quaintance could lead them to the top.

Coach Calipari isn’t there anymore, as he chose to take his talents to Arkansas to coach the Razorbacks in one of the most talked-about moves in recent college hoops history.

However, he will always be tied to his former program. And, according to ESPN analyst Myron Medcalf, he might get a chance to take them down in the Final Four next season.

Analyst predicts Arkansas-Kentucky Final Four matchup

“John Calipari will face Kentucky in the Final Four,” Medcalf wrote. “Darius Acuff is a top newcomer for an Arkansas squad that made a run to the Sweet 16 in March, giving the Razorbacks depth and experience that last season’s group lacked. And while Kentucky might need some time to get off the runway, it could have one of the nation’s most talented rosters as March approaches if Jayden Quaintance is healthy.”

Of course, this is just a prediction, and we’ve seen how meaningless all projections are when it’s actually time to take the court, but he makes some valid points.

It’ll be interesting to see how this season unfolds for both programs, and it would certainly be a treat for college basketball fans to watch this matchup in a high-stakes situation.