The Kentucky athletics department put out "The Journey" tonight, a slightly less than 15 minute video on their win over Duke. The lead up to the game, behind the scenes, and pivotal moments. One of the most pivotal moments was when Cooper Flagg went into isolation in the final seconds and as he crashed down on Andrew Carr, he went to spin towards the middle and Otega Oweh was there with a big steal. It was an amazing moment and a heads up moment but it was stunningly predicted by Kentucky head coach Mark Pope.
He saw it coming and planned for Oweh to make that steal to seal the win. Watch the moment when he gathered his team during one of the final timeouts of the game. He draws up the defensive play to get the steal and it's a masterclass in coaching, preparation, and coaching your guys. It's also a moment you can see his team respond to his coaching. Here it is:
Mark Pope called that Cooper would try to spin back middle and made sure we had a guy there to get the steal in the timeout before it happened
— Grant Peters (@Real_GP) November 18, 2024
I can’t put into words how much I love this man https://t.co/26Uw8neuKq pic.twitter.com/R5M2fvyaj8
It's a loud video and the subtitles are a bit small, so here's exactly what Pope said, "If I take Cooper on an iso, we're coming and we're rotating down. As he starts to spin, we're coming. Now, this could be either a full body or two hands. We are not bailing him out with a foul. Go two hands and take the ball. If Cooper goes to work and spins, we should have a body there to take the ball. Yes? Yes! Let's go boys!"
This is exactly what happened, he knew Flagg would come down the lane with a foul, he knew he would spin, and he had his guys ready to take the ball. This play was one of the most important and pivotal moments in the game and Pope anticipated it. This is amazing and it's a sign that the Kentucky Wildcats will not be outcoached by anyone.