Flashback: Mark Pope nearly shocked Kentucky before Shai Gilgeous-Alexander took over
Utah Valley was supposed to be a buy game—another early-season tune-up on Kentucky’s road to March. But on November 10, 2017, someone forgot to tell Mark Pope that.
Pope, a former Wildcat himself and then head coach of Utah Valley, came into Rupp Arena with a team full of confidence and zero expectations. Preseason No. 5 Kentucky—coached by John Calipari and loaded with freshmen like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Kevin Knox, and Hamidou Diallo—was expected to run the Wolverines out of the building. Instead, Pope’s squad landed the first punch.
With 6:24 left in the first half, Gilgeous-Alexander calmly sank two free throws to give Kentucky a 23-18 lead. What followed stunned Big Blue Nation: a 16-2 Utah Valley run that sent the visitors into the halftime locker room up 34-25. Rupp Arena fell silent as Pope paced the sideline like a man who smelled an upset. And for a few precious minutes, it was within reach.
But talent eventually won out. The Cats regrouped quickly in the second half, reclaiming the lead at 43-37 before the first media timeout. Diallo led the comeback charge with 18 points on 8-for-16 shooting, while SGA quietly filled the box score with 13 points, 4 assists, and 4 steals in 36 minutes.
Utah Valley hung around, keeping the margin tight, but Kentucky pulled away late to win 73-63. Pope's gritty crew got double-digit scoring from six players, led by Kenneth Ogbe and Jake Toolson. The Wolverines shot just 5-of-18 from three, but their physical defense and patient offense had Kentucky reeling early.
Years later, that game stands as a fascinating intersection of Kentucky past and future. Pope—a 1996 NCAA champion at UK—is now back in Lexington, this time sitting on the home bench insead of the visitors. And Shai Gilgeous-Alexander? He’s now an NBA All-Star, MVP, and World Champion, the kind of player who can change a game with a quiet burst of excellence.
Pope didn’t get the upset, but he earned something else that night: respect. And perhaps, deep down, that give Mitch Barnhart enough insight to hire Pope 7 years later.