Kentucky players will get to experience the UK-Louisville rivalry for the first time tonight. (UK Athletics Photo)
Mark Pope is no stranger to Kentucky’s rivalry with Louisville.
The two teams split a pair of games during Pope’s two seasons as a player from 1995-96 and he will get his first chance to coach against the Cardinals on Saturday when the two teams meet in Rupp Arena.
“In-state games are always great,” Pope said. “The rules go out the window and the stats and the analytics go out the window and it’s just different. It’s just a brawl. The games are so fun and they’re so intense and it means so much. It’s really special that way. It’s a great thing. We’re really blessed to be part of it. And it matters. It matters. And so we’re excited.”
Pope added the rivalry is one of the “iconic rivalries in sports.” He recalled late manager Bill Keightley’s passion for the game and his feelings when his former coach at Kentucky, Rick Pitino, replaced the late Denny Crum at Louisville more than two decades ago.
“I couldn’t believe it. I mean, I just couldn’t believe it,” Pope recalled. “He’s just unbelievable. But I get it. You know, I still shake my head at that.”
Kentucky (9-1) has won five of the past six games against the Cardinals, including a 95-76 victory a year ago. Louisville has opened the Pat Kelsey era with a 6-4 record, with all three losses against ranked foes. The Cardinals have defeated Indiana and West Virginia.
“(They’re a) terrific team (and) they’ve had some huge wins,” Pope said. “They can be really disruptive. They are really aggressive. Chucky (Hepburn) is playing at an elite level. They’re a terrific team with a massive upside.”
As for his team’s preparation, Pope said it won’t be any different than his team’s previous 10 encounters.
“I think when you treat every game — like you’re 100 percent all in on every single game, they want to give you a chance to win and it makes it feel normal,” Pope said. “The truth is, this game feels like we’re going to be like we’re fully engaged and preparing emotionally and physically for this game. It’s the most important game we’ve ever played, just like we were against Colgate, just like we were at Gonzaga or Duke or anybody else.”
The Wildcats are coming off a 78-67 win over Colgate, in a contest Pope said featured a lot of “weirdness.”
“We had one of those nights,” he said. “There was actually some really good stuff on the court. There were unbelievable defensive possessions where everything was locked and communication was great. And then it was just like something randomly kind of went awry.”
REUNION
Two of Pope’s players at BYU — centers Noah Waterman and Aly Khalifa — are part of Kelsey’s squad at Louisville. Waterman has started eight of 10 games, while Khalifa is recovering from a knee injury and likely will receive a medical redshirt.
“(Those are) two young men that I love, like, they’re special,” Pope said. “… One of the greatest honors as a coach is to get to get to know these players and get to watch them grow and bear witness to their kind of evolution as human beings. These are two really special guys. They’re going to make Louisville really, really proud. I hope they don’t make them too proud on Saturday, but they got two good ones.”
* * *
NEXT GAME: Louisville at Kentucky, 5:15 p.m., Saturday. TV/Radio: ESPN, UK Radio Network.
