Mark Pope understands that UK fans want to see the Cats win the SEC Tournament. (Vicky Graff Photo)
No matter how Kentucky does at the SEC Tournament this week, UK fans will know winning the tournament does matter to coach Mark Pope.
He made that perfectly clear last week even before Kentucky wrapped up the sixth seed in the tourney and secured a bye to where it does not have to play in the first round Wednesday in Nashville.
“This SEC Tournament matters,” Pope said at his press conference. “It’s the best league maybe that’s ever been in any year of college basketball, and this SEC matters. So, we’re heading to Nashville with all of our successes and confidence and warts and holes that we got to plug and we’re going there with one goal, which is to go win. And I assume every team is going there that way.”
Again, that was before Kentucky went to Missouri and got its eighth win Saturday over a top 15 team — tying the record for the most top 15 wins in one season by any team.
“We’re here to win. We do all this work to win. That’s why we’re here, is to go win, especially the University of Kentucky. Here, nothing less than that’s acceptable. The social media stuff, NIL, the transfer portal, the professional [route], and all the things are great but we should never be distracted by the fact that that is not the end goal,” Pope said. “The end goal is to win. The end goal is to raise a trophy and hang a banner. That’s the end goal.”
Former UK coach John Calipari made it clear winning the SEC tourney was not a priority for him, something that definitely irked UK fans — especially in recent years when UK has not been able to win a game in the league tourney. However, older UK fans should also remember the disdain former UK coach Joe Hall had for the league tourney when it started and thought playing too many games in the SEC tourney hurt a team in the NCAA.
Another former UK coach, Rick Pitino, not only wanted to win the SEC tourney title, but he wanted to demolish opponents. Pope played under Pitino and obviously remembers the passion Pitino had for wanting to win the league tourney.
Pope said injuries are no excuse and the team should be ready for whatever happens in postseason play.
“We’ve gone through this season. We’ve been through everything we’ve been through and we’ve grown in all the ways that we could grow, as fast as we could possibly grow,” the Kentucky coach said. “Now we’re at the final stages where it’s time to win.
“You’re either going to win or you’re not. That’s not to be paralyzed by fear or crushed by expectations. It’s just time to recognize that what you’ve worked for the last six months and for your whole lifetime is actually right now. It’s not the other stuff in the future or the past or wherever; it’s right now.”
Pope knows how difficult winning any game at the SEC tourney can be. The SEC could have three No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament and six of the top 12 seeds.
“It’s really imperative for everybody in this league that you understand how great the level of competition here is, and it shouldn’t ever affect your confidence,” Pope said.
7 Responses
It will be a huge accomplishment for which ever team wins this tournament. There are so many very good teams and anyone can get hot for a few games.
Imagine that – UK coach wants to win SECT !!
It’s just great to have Coach Pope here to realign THE goal of UK BB – WIN, WIN, WIN
That will mean beating Georgia, Alabama, Florida, and Tennessee in 4 days. Auburn is going through a meltdown…thugball is finally catching up with them. The winner of the NCAA tournament will not have faced a gauntlet this tough.
You nailed it, again.
The SEC teams often exit early because the players don’t realize that real basketball is not thug warfare. Fouls & frustration will take a toll on the meanest and most brutal SEC teams – they will not be used to being called for a foul just because they hammered someone and knocked them down or because they actually have to dribble the ball instead of tucking it under an arm and running several steps – it’s called traveling!
If UK can beat SLUGA, BAMMA, FL & AUB or TN, it will be a whole lot bigger challenge tonn BBN overcome than winning 6 in a row for the Big Banner.
Sorry guys i think there’s going to be some upsets along the way than what the previous posts are said. Go cats!!
So do I Cats79
Upsets can always be expected. Post-season upsets get more attention but the rate of upsets is relatively consistent.
The refs can pick up some extra cash in a Tourney with so many games packed into a few days.
The SECT should have several ambulances lined up since thug ball will be at its peak.