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Kentucky fans are losing their mind over Kentucky going to first Sweet 16 since 2019

It has never felt so sweet as the Kentucky Wildcats are heading back to the Sweet 16!
ByEricka Brockish|
Mar 23, 2025; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Andrew Carr (7) reacts during the second half in the second round of the NCAA Tournament against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
Mar 23, 2025; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Andrew Carr (7) reacts during the second half in the second round of the NCAA Tournament against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Oh, how sweet is it? The Kentucky Wildcats are heading to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2019, and this comes in year one under head coach Mark Pope. Kentucky took down the high-offensive Illinois Fighting Illini 84-75 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Wildcats are set to take on the Tennessee Volunteers in the Sweet 16 in a battle of the SEC teams, but before fans can focus on that, they have a bit of celebrating to do. This is the first time in seven years the Wildcats have been in this spot and fans could not be more excited.

To show their excitement, they took to X (formally known as Twitter) to show support for their team and just truly how happy they are to be moving on to the next round.

Pope is simply just so happy to be in Kentucky. After spending two seasons with the Wildcats, to come back and coach the team you once had such great memories is certainly something special. You can tell Pop really cares about his staff and players, and sometimes, that is all a team needs and wants to play well.

Sometimes, your own team can surprise you, and tonight, Kentucky certainly did that with some of their fans. It seemed like the cards could have been stacked against the Wildcats, but they found a way to win, and those are the best kind of teams.

Leave it to Kentucky to ruin the last perfect bracket. Guess they should have gone with the Wildcats, their mistake.

Well, Kentucky is still Kentucky, and John Calipari is still John Calipari, but we all know who would win in this battle, and it certainly isn't Arkansas.

There is always time to troll a rival. Kentucky is heading to the Sweet 16, while Louisville is still thinking about their round-one loss to Creighton, where they got destroyed. Guess we know who the best team in the state is, and it's not even close.

Pope has shown he is an elite coach and can do it wherever he is. The Wildcats were the only team to ever come into the season with zero points from last year, meaning they did not have a single player on their squad who scored a point for Kentucky last season on their squad. Pope is doing something special at Kentucky, and it is showing.

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