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Mark Pope has been at Kentucky just over a year, but he’s fully aware of the high standard its basketball fans expect, and he knows the Wildcats aren’t meeting it.
“We’re far away from the team that we hope and aspire to be,” Pope said Tuesday following an 83-66 loss to No. 17 Michigan State.
It was Kentucky’s second loss to an AP Top 25 team this season, coming just a week after falling to in-state rival Louisville.
On Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden in the opener of the annual Champions Classic, Kentucky shot just 35% from the field, 23% from 3-point range, and lost the rebounding battle to the Spartans, 42-28. Highly-touted transfer Denzel Aberdeen went 1-of-8 from the field and finished with 10 points.
“Disappointed, discouraged, and completely discombobulated right now,” Pope said following the game. “We just have work to do.”
Though it’s only been five games, this marks a distinct step back for Pope, who led Kentucky to the Sweet 16 in his first season and beat Duke, Gonzaga, and Louisville in nonconference play. In 2025, the Wildcats aren’t close to competing at that level.
Pope vows to address the issues immediately. “We can’t waste a second,” he said.
For Kentucky, the stakes are high, the clock is running, and talent alone won’t be enough.
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