In the aftermath of Kentucky's 74-69 loss to Vanderbilt, head coach Mark Pope shared his candid thoughts on the game, focusing on the team's performance, strategy, and individual player contributions.
Vanderbilt's Pressure and Kentucky's Turnovers
"They exerted a ton of pressure on us all game long, which is what they do. They turned us over 17 times, which is one of the things they do best. They had guys step up and make big shots in a great environment. We were really disappointed with how we performed for parts of the game, and I was really proud of our guys for parts of the game. And we're just hungry to get better. "
Pope acknowledged the defensive prowess of Vanderbilt, stating, "They did a good job getting us on our heels. It's super disappointing. This is a style of play that we love for teams to play. And it's a part of the game where, when we're at our best offensively, and for a bunch of reasons, reasons that I know and some reasons that I don't, we were just heavy on our heels and credit to Vanderbilt, of course."
Playing from Behind and Fatigue
Kentucky has faced challenges in maintaining leads, particularly in the middle of games. Pope explained, "We haven't started slow, it's that second 10 minutes of the first half that's plagued us a little bit. I think we get a little fatigued … Our bench is a little bit disintegrated. So we've got some fatigue out there. That's an issue. Maybe some focusing issues."
Despite the setbacks, Pope noted some positive aspects, "I wasn't disappointed with how our guys started. I thought there was good focus … I wish we had an answer to [Jason Edwards] earlier, but I still thought the flow of the game was okay."
Looking Ahead to Tennessee
With the next game against Tennessee on the horizon, Pope remains optimistic despite concerns, "Yeah, I mean everybody's really good defensively, right? That's the great thing about this league. It's such a fun, beautiful league and every night is going to be the biggest challenge of your season."
He emphasized the learning opportunity, "We're not far away. We have some real issues that we have to find some creative answers to, but we're not far away."
Player Updates and Performance Highlights
On Not Having Andrew Carr: "It doesn't [affect us]. We have really good players. I thought Ansley [Almonor] was terrific tonight and I thought [Trent] Noah gave us a real burst. So, we have players good enough to win. Our team wasn't good enough to win tonight."
Trent Noah's Impact: Pope praised the freshman's contribution, "I thought he was great on the glass. I thought his energy was really good tonight and we need that."
Lamont Butler's Struggles: Acknowledging Butler's effort despite physical challenges, "Yeah, I mean Lamont ... he's got a lot right now. We all know what a warrior he is. He is giving us everything he's got right now but's hard for him, physically, right now."
SEC Competition and Growth
Pope views the tough SEC competition as a blessing rather than a curse, "No. No, I think it makes us better. I would choose this league, the way it is this year, every single year." He highlighted the team's resilience and the importance of learning from every game.
Injury Concerns with Andrew Carr
Giving an update on the sidelined player, Pope shared, "He hasn't practiced in a couple weeks and every game it's kind of like, he just gets beat up so bad it's back to square one, where it's hard for him to walk essentially."
Full post game comments can be found here