Mark Pope with Brandon Garrison. (UK Athletics Photo)
Rather than being discouraged by his team’s loss at Clemson, Kentucky coach Mark Pope seems to like his team even more going into Saturday’s night game against Gonzaga.
Pope liked the way his team responded to being beaten on the boards and falling behind in the first half against Clemson but then fought back in front of a hostile crowd and had a chance to win.
“There are so many things we can do better in the game. I shouldn’t say this because BBN is going to kill me, but I’m not very filtered. I actually have more confidence in this team after the game than I did before, which is a terrible, terrible thing to say here,” Pope said.
“I liked how our guys were willing to sell out to address the most important thing. At halftime, the most glaring problem we had, we were down 10 on the glass. A lot of times we give lip service to things that need to be addressed, and you don’t really fix the problem because there are so many other things that you get distracted by.
“I was really impressed with our guys — like, that was a massive point of emphasis and our guys remedied it, right? They got back to even, which is hard to do.”
Kentucky got outrebounded by 10 in the first half at Clemson and gave up 13 offensive boards. In the second half UK won the rebounding battle by 10 and allowed just two offensive boards.
“We didn’t play really well on the offensive side of the ball and we didn’t play well at all. The guys, even in spite of all that, were like, ‘OK, so this is the most important thing. Let’s handle the most important thing,’” Pope said.
“When you handle the most important thing, it bodes well for you when you can start there, right? So I felt good about that.”
Gonzaga has basically the same team that was too tough physically for UK last year when it won in Rupp Arena. The Zags are again considered a potential Final Four team. Pope likes that his team is eager to fix its mistakes.
“I felt good about the fact that in a time when we weren’t playing well … we didn’t really have rhythm, we were kind of searching for ourselves, the guys pretty much stayed together, right?” Pope said Thursday.
“I liked the response yesterday as we kind of cranked out the film, and we had a bunch of guys that were curious and eager and wanted to get better, not a bunch of guys feeling sorry for themselves or upset or distracted.”
Pope knows this season will be a grind — 11 SEC teams were ranked in the AP top 25 this week. He knows his players will make mistakes just like he will and admits he did with a “very poor miscalculation” about the lineup he used late in the first half at Clemson.
“Seasons are hard, and that’s why they’re great. I mean, heaven forbid we ever have a season where nothing goes wrong, because it’s going to be super boring,” Pope said. “What really is special is when you answer — it’s when you ring the bell, right? I think we have a locker room full of guys that are like that.
“They can take on some adversity and I think that they are, wins or losses, they’re gonna roll in the locker room the same way just hungry to get better. I think that bodes well for us throughout the course of this season.
“You look at this league right now, this league is really special. It’s going to be really fun, it’s going to be really dynamic. There are going to be some times when BBN is like, ‘He’s the worst coach ever!’ Those are actually beautiful moments, because that’s when you have a chance to ring the bell, right? We have a team that’s built to do it.”
However, Pope knows that Gonzaga coach Mark Few also has a special team because he seems to have one every year.
“What he’s done in basketball has just been almost unfathomable. He puts together incredible teams, incredible products. Every single year. He’s so good,” Pope said. “He’s got a really distinctive style.
“They know exactly who they are. You could almost take the names off the jerseys, and you would know if you’re watching a Gonzaga team by the way they play. They win. So it’s going to be an epic adventure.”
8 Responses
I don’t see how you can be more confident in your team after a bad loss. Ky is 22-82 on 3 pointers the last three games. They commit a lot of silly turnovers and miss crucial free-throws. Good big men are going to be a big problem for this team. They better get it fixed quick or it’s going to be a long season.
They last some hefty big kid on Clemson completely destroy them physically. Often times players look more concerned with run outs rather than rebound the ball. Another thing that I see time and time again on this team is guys don’t follow there shots when you take alot of 3s you have to crash the boards. Alot of rebounds are going to land near the free throw line other teams see this we dont!
Terry you mentioned something I left out. Rebounding! Most times when they shoot a 3, everyone is running back down the court. They let a dude that has a 20" vertical jump grab 20 rebounds. They need everyone crashing the board.
It got fixed Jimmy!!!
Kentucky’s problem is they have no identity. There is nothing they are bad at and there is nothing they are great either. I definitely thought Kriisa would be way better than he is. I think basketball is a after thought to him. He don’t care if they win or lose as long as he has fun!
Wow!! Looks like we have a coach that knows how to make adjustments at the half
Wow! What a win! Pope pushed the right buttons at half-time! Carr and Robinson stepped up big time! We still have some things to work out, but they didn’t quit! They have to find a way to get Brea open for more 3s. They finally started moving more in the second half and hit the boards on both ends! Going to the zone flipped the game. Great win!!! Go CATS!!!
Great to have a coach that will change defenses!