Mark Pope’s first season at Kentucky has come to a close. The Wildcats finished 24-12 (10-8), securing a sixth-place finish in one of the country’s toughest conferences and reaching the Sweet 16 before being eliminated by Tennessee.
There’s a lot to reflect on from the season, so we asked the Cats Illustrated staff to share their evaluations of Pope’s debut season.
Justin Rowland: I recently mentioned on X that I’d give Pope an A- for his first year. The positives far outweighed the negatives. One question I still have about Pope is his ability to build and coach an elite defensive team. His past teams didn’t have strong defensive stats, and while Kentucky’s defense ranked in the top-60 this season, it likely wasn’t enough to win a championship. I have no concerns about the offense, as Pope has proven his ability to recruit and coach elite offensive teams. Despite a roster ravaged by injuries, he led the Cats to many big wins. Reaching the second weekend of the tournament for the first time since 2018-2019 was a significant achievement. While the loss to Calipari at Rupp and the elimination by Tennessee were tough, these were isolated events that don’t reflect the overall trajectory. After this season, I’m confident Pope is a strong choice to lead the program. He should have no trouble attracting players who fit his system, so I’m optimistic about the future.
David Sisk: I look at Pope’s performance from two perspectives. On one hand, there’s the actual coaching job, but Kentucky’s expectations are different from most schools, with only a few exceptions. In my opinion, Pope did a fantastic job. When he arrived in Lexington a year ago, the roster was nearly empty, but he turned it into a top-10 team before injuries took their toll. His game planning was excellent, and I especially appreciated the offensive creativity that had been lacking in recent years. Pope handled the second half of the season, filled with adversity, as well as could be expected. They were only really overwhelmed in about four games despite the injuries. I’d give him an A for the job he did. The loss to Tennessee was disappointing and not the way you want to end the season. If this happens again in year four, there will be conversations, but overall, Pope did what he was brought in to do—advance Kentucky past the first weekend of the tournament. We should all feel that the program is moving in the right direction. I’d give him an A-minus.
Jeff Drummond: From the moment Mark Pope was announced as Kentucky’s new head coach, he has embraced the high standards set in Lexington. For that reason, I’d grade him a B+ for Year 1. The Wildcats ended the season with 12 losses, tied for sixth in the SEC, and suffered a blowout loss to their oldest rival in the NCAA Tournament, so it’s hard to justify an A grade. However, considering Pope inherited a roster with no players and faced one of the most injury-riddled seasons, he did an excellent job just getting the Cats to the Sweet 16. Along the way, he led Kentucky to victories over Duke, Louisville, Gonzaga, Florida, and Tennessee (twice). If you had told any UK fan before the season that they would finish 24-12, beat those teams, and reach the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament, Big Blue Nation would have gladly accepted it. I’m comfortable with a B+, though I wouldn’t argue with an A. The best thing Pope did was bring excitement and joy back to Kentucky basketball. It was a strong season and a solid foundation for future success in 2026.