The arrival of the Mark Pope coaching era in Lexington was always going to be one of the most anticipated storylines of the 2024-25 college basketball season — the same as any other time Kentucky has introduced a new head coach.
With approximately 100 days remaining before Kentucky opens its season Nov. 4 against Wright State at Rupp Arena, ESPN’s Jeff Borzello and Myron Medcalf recently named their 10 best storylines ahead of the season. Kentucky and the start of the Pope era was ranked No. 3.
UConn’s attempt at becoming the NCAA’s first three-peat champion since John Wooden’s UCLA teams won seven straight titles from 1967-73 was the No. 1 overall storyline. John Calipari’s first season in Fayetteville as Arkansas’ new coach was named the second-best storyline.
Per ESPN’s Medcalf:
“After whiffing on big-name candidates for its successor to John Calipari, the blueblood school ultimately landed on the former BYU coach and once-team captain on the 1995-96 Wildcats squad that won a national championship. It hasn’t mattered to Pope that he wasn’t the first choice, though, as he’s quickly turned early skepticism into optimism. Thousands of fans attended his introductory press conference at Rupp Arena. He has a top-25 team full of elite transfers. More importantly, he understands that, while he’s replacing John Calipari, the standard has not changed: he knows it’s always championship or bust in Lexington.”
Pope played two seasons in Lexington and was a captain on the Wildcats’ 1996 national championship team. He was named head coach on April 12 after Calipari left for Arkansas following his second first-round NCAA Tournament exit in three seasons.
In five seasons at BYU, Pope posted a 110-52 overall record and led the Cougars to two NCAA Tournament appearances. BYU lost to Duquesne in the first round of the tournament last March.
Kentucky is ranked No. 23 in ESPN’s preseason college basketball Top 25. Dick Vitale recently had the Wildcats in his way-too-early 2024-25 Sweet 16 projection.