After the Missouri game, after changing the starting lineup, Mark Pope didn’t do himself any favors, not that he was going to get much grace from a fanbase tired of excuses. His quotes were maddening if you are a Kentucky fan. He said, “We have to be able to execute better to win games.”
What game was he watching?
Otega Oweh missed a layup. Brandon Garrison threw an absolutely horrible bounce pass to a cutting Kam Williams that resulted in a turnover. When asked about the play, Pope said, “The look was there, the play was there to be made. For some inexplicable reason, it doesn’t go the way we want it to.”
The reason was simple: it wasn’t open, not even a little bit. That is not execution that is decision making in a pressure-packed situation.
Add that to the Jaland Lowe forced three out of a timeout to ice the game, and the question isn’t just execution. It’s coaching. It’s playing. And something has to change.
Kentucky basketball’s scoring woes start with Mark Pope’s coaching
Mark Pope looks lost on the sideline. He is shuffling guys in and out. Collin Chandler played just five minutes. Trent Noah hasn’t played an SEC minute. Jayden Quaintance and Mo Dioubate were on the bench when Malachi Moreno gave up an offensive rebound on a free throw.
Dioubate ruffled some feathers by yelling at Lowe at Alabama, saying Kentucky didn’t take that game “serious” enough. Against Missouri, he yelled at Malachi Moreno, even though it was a terrible pass from Dioubate himself. Pope doesn’t think that’s a problem. He continues to say the guys love each other, even as they are constantly arguing with each other on the court.
The message isn’t reaching Kentucky’s players
Pope said, “Getting our group to believe in what we do and actually execute what we do, and then execute when the lights are on, has been incredibly challenging so far.”
That continues a theme Pope seems to believe: their practice intensity and pace have failed to carry over to games. But the most telling part of that quote is the first part. The group isn’t buying in. They don’t fully believe in what he’s asking them to do — even after Kentucky has “simplified” the offense.
"Our pace in the half court has been like the manifestation of the DNA of who we are on my teams, and it’s incredibly frustrating that we’re not finding that right now. That’s why we’re trying to simplify everything — dumb it down. Dumb it down so it’s just incredibly simple, so we can at least execute with some pace and some decision-making. We’re not there yet. Clearly."
Clearly.
Kentucky failed to score 70 points at home in an SEC opener. They lost as a double-digit favorite to Missouri. Pope keeps saying BBN is going to be proud of this team and promising they won’t “break.” BBN may break first.
He reminded fans that “BBN has the right to do and say and act as they want.”
Judging by the fan reaction, they are.