The Kentucky Wildcats suffered their first loss of the season at the hands of a very good Clemson team, 70-66. It was a true road test for head coach Mark Pope and his newly built team, and Kentucky played off most of the night, which is a big testament to the Clemson crowd and the pressure of the Tigers players.
After the game, Pope spoke with reporters about how Kentucky has a target on its back, and everyone is going to give them their best game. Other teams want to beat the Wildcats badly and will come in ready, hyped up, and prepared. However, the way he said it caused Kentucky fans to cringe.
""We're Kentucky. We're everybody's Super Bowl. That's why you come here. It's an honor, but it requires us to be great. We weren't quite great enough.""Mark Pope
If an outsider was reading this quote or hearing it for the first time, they might think, "Well, that's true! Kentucky is a blue blood, and people want to beat them, especially when they are number 4 in the country." Kentucky fans cringe because it was a line used by John Calipari, the head coach, most often when his Wildcats would lose.
Hearing Mark Pope say, “everybody’s Super Bowl.” pic.twitter.com/mpEVdkmich
— Chris Fisher (@ChrisFisher247) December 4, 2024
Someone needs to pull Pope aside and tell him that phrase needs to be purged and never repeated. The 4-5 position at UK is a major weakness and has been exposed.
— Steve Moore (@Smooreuk9) December 4, 2024
Social media comments for any of these reporters who posted that quote are flooded with much of what Steve Moore said in the tweet above. It was giving them the Coach Cal vibe, not the good parts of Coach Cal but the frustrating parts.
The reality is that the quote is true, and maybe Pope needs to find a different way to phrase it, but teams, coaches, and players are coming for Kentucky and want to beat the Wildcats badly. You could see it with Clemson's game plan, the way they played, and the way the fans showed up 5 hours early and waited in the cold to get in. This was Clemson's early-season Super Bowl, and maybe it needs a different phrase, but it's true.
Frankly, you can’t be angry about the ‘super bowl’ line if this is how you celebrate the win. That just is what it is. 😅 #BBN pic.twitter.com/RsWIe2nM6o
— Buddy 🏀😼 (@BigBlueBud) December 4, 2024
The fans stormed the court after the game and, within a minute, had filled the entire court with a celebration from knocking off Kentucky. The Wildcats will have a target on their back all year and will need to come ready for it.