After Kentucky basketball demolished Loyola tonight, Mark Pope pushed back hard against the suggestion that Kentucky's problem is internal chemistry, calling the narrative "low-hanging fruit." He is right, it is much easier to say these guys arent giving effort, or they don't get along with each other when things don't go well. But the truth is, we don't know, we aren't in the locker room. But from the outside looking in, they do not look like a team that likes to play for each other.
Pope offered a philosophical defense of his team's bond though:
"I don't think that's our issue at all right now... Loving is a verb that you actively do."
He is saying that if you love each other, you must do the actions behind the word. You can't just simply say everything is good and fine, you have to actively work to make it that way. And he is trying to get them to put in the work to get better.
Selfishness is not the issue for Kentucky basketball
Pope even defended actions that might appear "selfish" on the court, arguing they stem from a desire to help the team, not a lack of commitment.
"A guy might come off as making a what we would term a selfish play because he so desperately wants to help his team. That's actually more often the case."
I'm not sure I am buying that one, but it is more important that the people in the locker room do.
Pope is fighting against the narrative by claiming the issue is purely technical: "It has to do with playing well and playing the game well and understanding how to play the game well." He wants BBN to believe the team's strong season averages, such as #15 in Two Point % (63.4%) and #49 in Shooting Efficiency, prove the foundation is strong, and the execution problems are fixable.
He will get his chance in December with games against North Carolina, Gonzaga, Indiana, and St. John's.
Drew Holbrook is an avid Kentucky fan who has been covering the Cats for over 10 years. In his free time he enjoys downtime with his family and Premier League soccer. You can find him on X here. Micah 7:7. #UptheAlbion