Look, nobody planned for this at the start of Kentucky basketball's season. They were deep, they were ready at every position, and they were a top 10 team. The injuries, the weird and oftentimes forced lineups, the "next man up" every single week... It’s been a mess. But listening to Mark Pope talk about it? He doesn't sound frustrated. He sounds like a proud dad watching his kids figure life out.
He was asked about how all these injuries have changed the roles on the team, and his answer was just... man, it was perfect.
"We don't look anything like we imagined. Not at all," Pope said. "This was not the plan. This was not the scheme... We're not actually probably doing this the traditional Kentucky way." The traditional Kentucky way involves not getting down 15 points in nearly every game, but it also doesn't involve comebacking so much.
Kentucky basketball's story is still unwritten
Usually, when a coach says "this wasn't the plan," they are making excuses. That really isn't Mark Pope's style. He is looking at this patchwork group held together with duct tape and hope, seeing something special.
"I feel bad for you if you're missing what's happening here right now because it's awesome," he said. "I love stories. I love redemption. I love overcoming... I wouldn't trade it for anything."
He even told the team before the Tennessee game to ignore the noise because "This is the story you guys are writing right now. And it's a great story, man... It's a story I don't want to put the book down."
That is the difference right there. They have battled and fought. They have had to recreate their entire identity on the fly with guys playing roles they were never intended to play. Sometimes it worked, and sometimes it didn't. But they haven't quit.
They have their work cut out for them tomorrow in Gainesville against a Florida team that is playing out of its mind. But if this season has taught us anything, it's that you can't measure this group by "plans" or "schemes."
You have to measure them by their heart.