Five games into Mark Pope’s second season, the early optimism is gone. Ranked No. 12, Kentucky sits at 3–2 after a 17-point blowout loss to No. 17 Michigan State in the Champions Classic. It marks their second nationally televised stumble in a week, compounded by sideline arguments and the lingering Louisville locker room controversy casting a shadow over the team.
Nothing reflects Kentucky’s struggles more than Mark Pope’s demeanor. He appeared defeated entering Madison Square Garden and in his postgame interviews. Though he ended his press conference by insisting he won’t fail, this marks the first time many fans are openly wondering whether he actually might.
This morning, one of Mark Pope’s strongest backers publicly expressed his confidence. Speaking with Adam Zagoria, Rick Pitino said he firmly believes Pope will “get it going” and turn things around as the season progresses.
“Michigan State made threes, which was very unexpected,” Pitino said, referencing the Spartans’ 11-22 mark from the outside. “But there’s no question in my mind that Kentucky, come March, will be a great basketball team.”
The most convenient criticism of Kentucky right now is its rumored $22 million roster cost, a figure opponents and critics of modern college athletics are quick to use as ammunition. While that number might hint at deeper internal issues, fans’ concerns extend beyond payroll though the chatter inevitably grows louder when the team is losing.
Despite the narrative, Rick Pitino isn’t buying the reported price tag. As a coach who has also invested heavily in the transfer portal, he doubts the accuracy of the figure and suggests it’s being exaggerated, even as the story continues to shadow Kentucky’s early-season struggles.
“First of all, everything is exaggerated,” Pitino told Zagoria. “I hear these numbers, and it’s not proven. Unless it’s proven, it’s not factual. So nobody said the payroll’s $22 million, nobody knows that, nobody’s confirmed that, so people can’t make up numbers.”
“I’m close with Mark, and I don’t believe in these numbers,” he added. “I think everybody exaggerates these numbers. I know they do with us [St. John’s] and they do with every place.”
Naturally, Rick Pitino is going to stand behind Mark Pope the captain of his 1996 title team. The two will meet again as opposing coaches in the CBS Sports Classic next month, and Kentucky needs to have resolved some of its problems by then, including Pope’s own struggles. Few people Pope respects more than Pitino, and leaning on the principles he learned from his former coach might be exactly what he needs to steady himself and redirect this team.
Leave a Reply