First, Kentucky melted down at home vs. a Missouri team that is questionable at best. They had an 8-point lead with 4 minutes to go; they had all the momentum. Rupp was loud, and the players looked like they felt good again. Then they gave up a layup, no big deal. Then the turnovers started. Moreno is trying to find a cutting Oweh, but the pass goes out of bounds. Garrison is trying to find a cutting Williams, but the pass again goes out of bounds. Then a missed Oweh layup. Kentucky was 5-14 on layups according to Synergy, 6-13 if you listen to the ESPN broadcast. Neither number is going to win you many games.
But the hypocrisy is beginning to be a little much.
Kentucky fans asked Mark Pope to change, he did and now their mad
Rewind to last year. Mark Pope brought in Koby Brea, Andrew Carr, Amari Williams, Jaxson Robinson, Ansley Almonor, Lamont Butler, Travis Perry, and Trent Noah. And you know what that team did? They played together, they played tough, they worked for each other, and they never quit. Sure, they had moments where they just didn't have enough talent to win, but you knew they were listening and trying to be better each game.
Remember the Ole Miss loss where Mark Pope bloodied his hand? The Ohio State loss that made you want to pull your hair out? But they just kept swinging. They fought and fought, and by the end of the year, they had maxed out. Without injuries, they were a dangerous team that knocked off national champion Florida in one of the best games last year. They had won a record 8 games against top 15 AP-ranked teams. They bombed a record-setting amount of 3s. They were fun, they were exciting.
But that wasn't good enough. They needed to get some "dawgs." They needed to find some defensive stoppers to win it all. Mark Pope needed to change his very DNA.
What is Pope known for? Creative, innovative, spacing-filled, 3-point shooting teams. But he listened. He heard you. He looked around the portal, and instead of guys like Alvaro Folgueiras, Jarron Pierre, Elyjah Freeman, and others, he said those guys fit the old mold. He heard the complaints and the murmurs. He went and got Jayden Quaintance, Mo Dioubate, Reece Potter, Jaland Lowe, and Denzel Aberdeen. He did get Kam Williams, who was one of the only players who actually fit Mark Pope's style, but he is out of place on a roster that doesn't.
Reece Potter has redshirted, and these are the combined stats of Aberdeen, Quaintance, Lowe, Dioubate, and Kam Williams:
Points 42.9
Rebounds 19.4
Assists 8.2
Turnovers 4.9
The guys that you went out to specifically get to replace those guys, the core of your lineup.
Then you tell Mark Pope to start your best 5, the guys you believe will get them out of a funk. He does, the team still starts slow. You tell him to stop shooting so many 3s with this group, and they have shot just 37 total in the last two games. This is from a guy who said he would love for them to be at the 30 mark per game.
You got exactly what you asked for, and it's not working.
I'm not saying Mark Pope is this coach savant or anything. There are clearly issues with what he is doing out on the floor, but he listened to BBN and the advisors around the team. He gave them what they wanted, what they asked for. And this is the result.
Be careful what you wish for. You just might get it. In this case, you got it and then some.