As the final seconds dwindled off the clock in Columbia, Mark Pope and Kentucky could finally exhale. A 3-game losing streak was no more, as Kentucky put away a plucky South Carolina team 72-63. His team and Mark Pope himself were battered and bruised; they went from fighting for 1st place in the SEC to holding on to an NCAA Tournament bid by a thread. That's why, after the game, you could feel the release of all that had built up in what Pope had to say.
Mark Pope tells Tom Leach any win is 'important'
News broke earlier in the day that Kentucky's head coach would be fined $25,000 for his comments after the Auburn game on Saturday. Pope didn't mention that fine on the air tonight, but what he did say spoke volumes about where this team is currently at. When asked about the game, even though Kentucky played poorly, and if the pressure of losing 3 straight had impacted the Cats, Pope said:
"No, there's pressure if you've won 3 in a row. The pressure is ever-present; it's such a privilege…I do think there is an emotional toll on our guys…We spent more time trying to purge ourselves…than x’s and o’s. Its important right now, our guys are happy, and they should be happy."
In a season filled with a lot of tough breaks, Mark Pope is letting his guys soak up a win, and he should. This is a brutal stretch, 2 games you probably should have won against Georgia and Auburn, and a season slipping away. The Cats know they have Vanderbilt Saturday, a trip to Reed Arena to take on the Aggies, and then welcoming Florida to Rupp the following week.
That is a tough stretch of games for a team that was reeling. Tonight was cathartic; it was a release of all that emotion in a place that had been unkind to Kentucky recently. Celebrate the win, but get ready for Saturday because a win there helps take a lot of pressure off on the last 2 games.