If you weren't listening to the post-game show, you missed Mark Pope in rare form. The head coach came out about 30 minutes after the buzzer, and the first thing he noticed wasn't the stats or the scoreboard. It was you guys, BBN.
"You guys crushed it tonight. Number 2, there is no gym at any level in America where we come out half an hour later, and everyone is still here."
But the best moment came when he talked about Collin Chandler's dagger three that gave the Cats the lead they would not relinquish.
Collin Chandler is one cold... dude
Pope asked the crowd a simple question: "Did anybody doubt that the 3 from Collin Chandler was going in?"
The answer was obviously no, Chandler has been clutch since SEC play started. His steal against Tennessee, the countless big shots, and the long pass for the win in Baton Rouge. But Otega Oweh had a much more colorful way of describing it.
Pope shared a little insight into what the talk was like after Chandler buried the 3 during a timeout:
"The most fun moment for me… Otega turned to Collin and said you are one cold 'lot of other words.'"
We can use our imaginations on what those other words were. But he isn't wrong. Chandler has ice in his veins, and he keeps doing it.
The Cats were fighting for the fans
Pope was honest about the way this team is winning. It isn't always pretty, and they are making a habit of falling behind early.
"We are doing a lot of comebacks, guys… But these guys are fighting, I hope you guys are enjoying it, man… We're far from perfect, but these guys are playing for you; they want to win for you."
Winning is the best thing. But if you lose with effort, energy, and fight, BBN can accept it. To a point, anyway.
The defensive shift that changed the game
How did they actually pull it off? Pope credited a few tactical changes, but mostly he credited Otega Oweh for flipping a switch.
"We changed some matchups… Otega was a monster defensively in the second half… he was unbelievable."
They also tweaked the ball screen coverage to try to slow down Tennessee's attack. Pope admitted it wasn't perfect: "They still kinda picked us apart," but it disrupted them just enough to get the win.
And right now? A win is all that matters.