This ridiculous stat is the biggest reason for BBN to have patience with Mark Pope

Mark Pope won a national championship at Kentucky as a player, but even that legacy hasn’t bought him much leeway with Big Blue Nation now that he’s the program’s head coach. Pope has been under fire from the fanbase throughout a lackluster second year of his tenure, but a 91-77 win over No. 25 Vanderbilt on Saturday may provide a reprieve from hot-seat conversations. 

More than the win, though, the school released a ridiculous stat that is the best argument for the fanbase to exercise patience with Pope as his second year winds down. With two games remaining on the schedule and no expectation of Jaland Lowe, Kam Williams, or Jayden Quaintance all making a return, by the time the regular season concludes, Pope will have played just five of his 52 games against high-major opponents with a full roster. 

Kentucky’s injury issues have reached unfathomable levels

The Wildcats close out the year with a trip to College Station to face Texas A&M, then the regular season finale at Rupp Arena against Florida, which is angling for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season. They will presumably do so, as they have most of the season, without three projected starters in Lowe, Quaintance, and Williams. 

Despite the injury issues, Pope has seemingly righted the ship after a three-game losing skid that began with a 92-83 loss to Florida in Gainesville, beating South Carolina and Vanderbilt. Collin Chandler stepped up against Vandy, helping to avenge the 80-55 loss in Nashville earlier this season with 23 points and six made threes. 

Pope does not have Kentucky where BBN expected the program to be in Year 2 of his tenure; that’s undeniably true. However, he continues to find answers where other coaches would have allowed the season to collapse. Though they’ve approached the brink many times, these Cats are still in the fight and currently slated for a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament according to CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm and his latest bracket projection. 

Pope’s recruiting struggles are another story entirely, and maybe the biggest reason for faith in his ability to win another national title for the Cats, this time at the helm of the program, to waver. However, his gameday coaching, which was the reason Kentucky hired him to replace John Calipari, has continued to be impressive even in the worst circumstances. 

Kentucky may move on from Pope eventually, but hopefully not before he gets the chance to see through a season with a completely, or even just mostly, healthy roster.