Mark Pope sold his vision for a $22 million roster with 'no identity'

Last season, Mark Pope caught lightning in a bottle. He took a team full of transfers to a Sweet 16 despite an injury-ridden roster that stunted the team's growth and potential. They beat a record 8 AP Top-15 teams, and they knocked off Duke, Tennessee, and eventual national champion Florida. They played fast, free, and explosive offensively, but struggled defensively. Many fans said they could not win a title playing the type of ball Pope was known for. They wanted more athletes, stronger players, less finesse. But as the old saying goes, changing horses in midstream is never a good idea.

Kentucky basketball's season hangs in balance as Mark Pope searches for answers with flawed roster

The offseason happened, Pope looked around, and listened to the fans. He went into the portal and abandoned his search for shooters and floor spacing bigs. He picked up Mo Dioubate and Jayden Quaintance to pair with Brandon Garrison. None of them can step out and consistently make a jump shot; they all play down low on the block and in pick-and-roll situations.

To add to that, he recruited Malachi Moreno, and guess what he does best? Low post scoring. That means all 4 of your main power forwards and centers all play the same way. There is Trent Noah and Andrija Jelavic, but neither sees consistent minutes in Pope's rotation, and Jelavic is not a known 3-point threat, though he does have more range than everyone outside of Noah.

Then he added Kam Williams who plays the 3. That is where a lot of your shooting was supposed to come from. Outside of one game, 8 for 10 against Bellarmine, he is shooting just 24 percent from deep. That is now all of your forwards shooting under 25 percent from the 3-point line. Teams can pack the paint, force bad shots, and not have to worry about closing out on any player playing the 3 or 4 outside of Trent Noah.

Pope didn't play Noah against Alabama because he struggles with lateral quickness, he is averaging just 14 minutes per game and most of that came early in the season. You can see why this team needs him on the floor, but even then you introduce a new problem. But it should be one this team should be able to fix.

Jayden Quaintance's 3 blocks per game last year should mean he could cover the rim if anyone gets beat. But Kentucky's defensive system, or lack thereof, has limited Quaintance's impact in the area the team needs it most. He has just 16 rebounds and 2 blocks in 3 games this season.

Then you look to the guards Pope brought in. In the portal Jaland Lowe and Denzel Aberdeen. Lowe took a lot of bad shots at Pitt where he had to be the primary option, the thought would be that shooting percentage would improve in a better system. That is not the case, Lowe is shooting just 21% from 3. Aberdeen for his part is a 34 percent shooter but is very streaky. That brings us to Jasper Johnson who plays 15 minutes per game and shooting 37%. But he is struggling with the physicality and has the 4th most turnovers on the team despite his limited minutes.

Then you have returning senior Otega Oweh. Fresh off a NBA adventure, he was supposed to be the leading man, the voice that leads the team. Instead, he has been questioning his own effort. His stats have improved since a rough November, but he still is only shooting 32% from 3. He has struggled with turnovers all season long.

Last of the guards is Collin Chandler, who is actually the 2nd best shooter on the team at just above 39%, though that is down from the 55% he was at the first few games of the season.

That means the only reliable shooter that sees regular minutes is Collin Chandler, and the defenses know it. They crowd him and don't have to worry about getting back to their man. That is why his shooting percentage has dropped so much. But he also struggles with the ball in his hand. Look at the video below:

So, your best shooter doesn't see minutes. The next two best shooters struggle with the ball in their hands and force you to play them off-ball, which means Jaland Lowe has to play point, or you run Denzel Aberdeen at point, and he too struggles setting the table for others.

So you see the conundrum. We have a coach whose career has been built on spacing, 3-point shooting, team chemistry, and everyone plays their part. And we have a team he built to do none of the things he knows how to coach.

Norm Roberts claims Kentucky has "no identity"

On the Field of 68, a long-time Kansas assistant coach, Norm Roberts, now retired, spoke on what the issues are with Kentucky after their crushing loss to Alabama. He said they have "no identity" and "don't know who they are."

That starts at the top. Mark Pope bought into the talk that he had to change. He tried; he bet that these new guys would come in and play for one another. They haven't. He left behind what made him who he is, what made him successful, and he traded it in for a $22 million roster that does nothing he has done in his career.

He bet big on change, and it may cost him his dream job.