Survive and advance. It is that simple, but is it really? When it comes to Mark Pope leading the Kentucky Wildcats, it has never been that simple... In year two in charge of his alma mater, Pope is somehow one win away from taking UK to back-to-back Sweet 16s. Iowa State likely looms large in the Round of 32, but the Wildcats miraculously prevailed over the Santa Clara Broncos in overtime.
If not for this buzzer-beater from Otega Oweh at the end of regulation, Pope would be out of a job...
MAJOR ONIONS 😱#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/DxqIbiic48
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 20, 2026
Oweh may have "major onions", but Big Blue Nation cannot stand this foul stench coming from Pope.
Big Blue Nation still wants to move on from Mark Pope after Kentucky win
Big Blue Nation did not beat around the bush when it came to Oweh saving Pope's job with that shot.
And Mark Pope better be paying Oweh more money under the table cause I’ve never seen a player single handedly save his coaches job like this
— Mr. Bushido (@sumuubu) March 20, 2026
Mark Pope if Kentucky doesn’t make that shot #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/JLQ9EKPByX
— Seth Lugo Protector (@Sethlugo9) March 20, 2026
Kentucky under Mark Pope pic.twitter.com/f2TdEn4MEB
— BillyHogThornton (@BillyHogT) March 20, 2026
mark pope if otega oweh misses that shot pic.twitter.com/6CSisz8wzM
— Breton (@BretonPicks) March 20, 2026
If not for Oweh's bucket and great play in overtime, Pope would have been roasted alive by the media.
mark pope might’ve been unemployed next week if it wasn’t for otega oweh
— johnny trash (@theMATThatter__) March 20, 2026
Mark Pope just saved himself from an absolute media firestorm. Kentucky advances.
— Alex Walker (@AlexWalkerTV) March 20, 2026
Did Mark Pope just save his job?
— Matt Stiers (@Stiersmt) March 20, 2026
LOL Mark Pope is such a bad coach
— Dylan Lieck (@dylanlieck) March 20, 2026
What this win likely means is Pope will be back in Lexington for at least one more season, we think...
Mark Pope is an atrocious coach, dude has no control of his players whatsoever #Kentucky #SantaClara
— JEA2880 Sports Cards (@JEASportsCards) March 20, 2026
Congratulations to Louisville, Duke, Kansas and the SEC. Nobody has to worry about Mark Pope losing his job and Kentucky getting a good coach for at least another year. Thank you, Otega!
— Jared Stillman (@JaredStillman) March 20, 2026
AT LEAST ANOTHER YEAR OF MARK POPE pic.twitter.com/13qdvT4G9q
— Ganiel Diddens (@DGiddensBurner) March 20, 2026
Otega Oweh bought Mark Pope 2 more years with the luckiest shot of his life 😂
— Angry Cardinal 🐦🔥 (@AngryVille) March 20, 2026
After the 89-84 win over Santa Clara, Kentucky awaits the winner of Iowa State vs. Tennessee State.
Mark Pope lives to fight another day after being bailed out by his players
Pope may be one of their own, but that does not matter to Big Blue Nation. To them, they view him as a bit of a stop-gap coach between two legends. How North Carolina feels about Bill Guthridge and Matt Doherty in between Dean Smith and Roy Williams is how Kentucky fans may feel about John Calipari's successor. It is a tough spot to be in for Pope, but he tries his best to lead his alma mater.
With a potentially brutal Round of 32 matchup on the horizon with No. 2 Iowa State, this does not mean Pope is out of the woods just yet... If he coaches like he did for much of this game vs. Santa Clara, Kentucky could be looking for a new head coach anyway. Keep in mind that his boss in long-time athletic director Mitch Barnhart is retiring at the end of the year. Pope was hired by him in 2024.
In the end, most college basketball coaches worth their weight in salt would do unspeakable things to have a blue-blood post like the one Pope has at his alma mater of Kentucky. The fact he played here and led UK to its third tournament win over the last two years makes his tough decision so incredibly complicated. Even if Iowa State wipes the floor with Kentucky, Pope is almost certainly coming back.
For now, let's try to celebrate this crazy win because that is what March Madness is really all about!