Every Selection Sunday, John Calipari hosted the media and players at his house, and that was during a stretch where the Cats hadn't made a Sweet 16 in 5 seasons. He still hosted. Last season, Mark Pope invited the media to Rupp Arena to watch with family and friends. This year, though?
Nothing.
Mark Pope no shows Selection Sunday
Instead of hosting a small get-together with media, or a large one with fans. Mark Pope didn't host anything this year. I know things are bad. The Cats had one of the worst 15 seasons in the program's history, but this is still Kentucky.
The connection between the program, players, and coach matters here. There is no reason to just go dark when things don't turn out the way you would like them to.
Would it have been awkward watching Kentucky get its lowest seed in a decade? Maybe. But this screams that Mark Pope doesn't have the confidence in his team that he has been talking about the media.
Across campus Kenny Brooks and the ladies hosted a great event
When Kenny Brooks learned they would not be hosting, the women's program still hosted. And that is what you expect here in Lexington. Things may not go your way, you may get a 7-seed, you may only be a -3.5 point favorite, but you are still the head coach of Kentucky.
The only thing I can think of is maybe he wants to spend time dissecting what went wrong during the regular season and the SEC Tournament, or it is a publicity thing with the upcoming show.
It may also be a big part of the CBS show that the Cats will be a part of, but you would think they would want some media there as well if that is the case.
But that could have been announced.
Is it a big deal?
Maybe it's a big deal, maybe it's not. But anytime you break a tradition that has been going on for years, you have to wonder why that happened. Until Pope speaks, much like the Louisville incident earlier this year, all you can do is speculate.