Mark Pope is not one to throw in the towel.
Even after the latest beatdown, a humiliating 25-point loss to Vanderbilt, where the team looked disinterested, Pope is still hanging on to a rope that feels like it is slipping through his fingers.
When Pope sat down for his weekly radio show, the weight of the moment was obvious. The season is spiraling. The roster is "diminishing" due to injuries. The fan base is furious.
Yet, his comments might be construed in three ways: Delusional, naive, or, if you are the eternal optimist, exactly the kind of belief this fragile team needs right now.
Kentucky's 'best basketball is ahead of us'
This season has been bad. At times, it has been downright terrible. But you won't find it breaking Pope's resolve.
“What’s fun is we have a ton of season left, and we put ourselves in a decent position right now," Pope said, a statement that might make some fans laugh, and others sigh. "I do believe that this team is going to get better and better and better, despite the diminishing roster. I do think our best basketball is ahead of us."
That is a bold claim for a team that just got run out of the gym by a Vanderbilt squad missing two of its best guards.
Pope doubled down on his belief in the locker room's chemistry, even if that chemistry hasn't always translated to the court.
“I have so much faith in these guys," he said. "They’ve shown us we’ve taken some hits, but these guys have shown a resilience and a commitment to each other. It’s been really special.”
The reality check
It doesn't matter much if we believe him. BBN and reporters have all heard the "we are close" speech before. The fact that he has to say it is a message in itself, but he is trying to keep the faith out there in BBN for a special run. What matters the most is that the roster absolutely believes him.
Because if they don't buy in, if they check out now, as they have at various points against Michigan State and Gonzaga, what happened in Nashville will look like a walk in the park compared to what is coming up. The season starts anew in Fayetteville. Which Kentucky team shows up?
If Pope can't sell this optimism to his locker room by the weekend, this season goes from "bad" to "over."