Kentucky has been one of the most frustrating teams in the country this season, because the evidence cuts both ways. The Cats have beaten some of the best teams in the country. They have also been blown out by several. That contradiction defines everything about this season, and maybe even the Mark Pope era so far. It’s why nothing ever feels settled with this group.
On one hand, there are five Quad 1 wins. Kentucky went on the road and beat Tennessee and Arkansas. It crushed St. John’s, handing the Red Storm the worst loss they have taken this season. When this team is right, it looks dangerous and ready to beat anyone.
On the other hand, Kentucky has been run out of the gym by Michigan State, Gonzaga, Alabama, and Vanderbilt, all by at least 15 points, two by more than 20.
Kentucky basketball's duality is dragging down the 2025 season
You’ve seen both versions. A team that plays loose, confident basketball that looks exactly like what Mark Pope wants. They can score at will and get shots off that are open. And a team that has totaled just 39 assists against 41 turnovers over the last three games, where they have to work hard just to get a contested shot.
You’ve heard the players say they need to focus more and bring better effort. You’ve heard the coach say everyone is fighting. And yet, night to night, you never really know which Kentucky team is walking onto the floor.
A complete breakdown of basic basketball fundamentals
We’ve talked about passing, but it isn’t as simple as “move the ball.” To be an elite point guard, you have to know where every teammate is, where they’re going, and where the defense is about to rotate. A good pass isn’t thrown when it should be thrown; if you wait that long, it’s already late. It has to be thrown before it looks open, so it arrives on time. Think about a quarterback who throws his receiver open.
That kind of rhythm is something last year’s team found at times. This year’s team hasn’t, and with only 4 games left, it's looking less likely that they will
The biggest knock on Pope coming in was that his teams weren’t physical. He tried to fix that. Now, Kentucky still isn’t particularly physical, and it also struggles to create anything resembling a coherent offense.
Too often, the plan looks like this: give the ball to Otega Oweh or Denzel Aberdeen and hope they can make something happen off the bounce. There are few post touches. Almost no off-ball movement to bend the defense. At times, it doesn’t even look like Kentucky has an inbounds play. They just hold up a hand and hope they can just get the ball in.
Mark Pope's Kentucky team looks like a John Calipari team
The strangest part is this: this Kentucky team looks more like a John Calipari team than a Pope team. Meanwhile, Cal’s Arkansas squad looks far more like something Pope would coach.
Sometimes you have to be who you are and live with the results. Pope tried to change the identity of this program, and right now it has Kentucky stuck in the middle, good enough to beat anyone, flawed enough to lose to anyone, and drifting toward a place where difficult conversations start to happen.
That's not Kentucky basketball, or maybe it is.