Tag: mark pope

Back issues are still lingering for Kentucky’s Andrew Carr

Kentucky forward Andrew Carr continues to deal with a back issue.

Over the last handful of games, Wildcat forward Andrew Carr’s back issues have landed him on the SEC’s Availability Report. While that doesn’t look to change in the near future, Kentucky’s schedule may bring levity to his ailment.

Carr has played in Kentucky’s last two games — a pair of ranked wins against Mississippi State and Texas A&M.

However, prior to those matchups, Carr was listed on the SEC’s Availability Report. He was listed as a game-time decision prior to the win in Starkville, and was probable for the matchup against the Aggies.

Related: Five takeaways from Kentucky’s win over Texas A&M

“We’re kind of scratching and clawing to stay alive right now. And then we’ll be able to put three days together next week where hopefully we can make some progress (with his back). But right now he’s kind of on no practice, and we hope we can just tape him together for the game,” said Wildcat head coach Mark Pope. That’s kind of how we’ve been rolling the last two weeks. He’s been fighting and battling and being really effective in the games. He’s dying to play. We’ll piece it together.”

Kentucky does have to play the fourth-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide this Saturday, but will have some levity after. Following that matchup, the Wildcats will have a full week of rest before taking on Vanderbilt — meaning Carr will have seven more days to heal up.

Just don’t be surprised if Carr’s name is on that SEC Availability Report tomorrow.

Three Kentucky Wildcats achieved career scoring milestones in 2025

So far this season, three Kentucky players have hit scoring milestones.

Kentucky’s win over Texas A&M meant much more than just getting their fifth ranked win of the season. It also marked time to celebrate an important milestone for three Wildcats.

Jaxson Robinson, Kerr Kriisa, and Koby Brea were recognized for scoring their thousandth collegiate points this season prior to Kentucky’s 81-69 win over Texas A&M.

Both Robinson and Brea played in the win, and all three were rewarded with a commemorative ball and a picture together prior to the game.

Robinson scored his thousandth point in Kentucky’s 106-100 win over the Florida Gators on January 4. Robinson was great in that game, scoring 14 points.

Related: Five takeaways from Kentucky’s win over Texas A&M

The 6’7″ guard came over with Mark Pope from BYU. Prior to his two year run with the Cougars, the fifth-year senior spent time at Texas A&M and with Arkansas.

Like Robinson, Kriisa is also a fifth-year senior. He spent the first three years of his collegiate career with Arizona before spending last season at West Virginia.

Kriisa’s thousandth point came in the Wildcats’ 90-89 overtime win against Gonzaga on December 7. He scored 8 points in the win.

Brea scored his thousandth career point in a December 11 win over Colgate — where the Wildcats won 78-67. Brea started that game, scoring 17 points.

Like the two other guards, Brea is a fifth year senior who spent his previous four seasons at Dayton.

Kentucky opens SEC play with a big win over Florida

Kentucky basketball opened SEC play by beating the sixth ranked Florida Gators.

Kentucky basketball opened SEC play on Saturday, and immediately faced a tough test against an undefeated Florida Gators team. It was the 11th ranked Wildcats who walked out with the victory, though. They rode an offensive explosion to a 106-100 win.

Florida jumped out to an early lead, but as has been the pattern, Kentucky went on a 13-0 to get ahead. They led 52-42 at halftime.

In the second half, it was the Gators who made a run. They closed the gap to a single point a few times, and then to within two with four minutes to play. A Lamont Butler three pointer extended the lead, though, and Florida couldn’t get close again.

Related: Kentucky a three-seed in latest ESPN Bracketology

The Wildcats were paced by Koby Brea, who had 23 points and made 7-of-9 from three-point range. He was one of six who score in double figures for Kentucky. Butler was fantastic once again, adding 19 points and 8 assists. Amari Williams had 15 points and 8 rebounds.

Overall, it was a great team effort, and a big win for Mark Pope and the Wildcats team. Kentucky made nearly 60% of their shots overall and hit almost 50% of their three-pointers.

Up next for the Cats is the Georgia Bulldogs. That game will be on Tuesday and will be Kentucky’s first conference road game of the season.

Kentucky is getting a visit from a four-star 2026 recruit

Class of 2026 recruit Anthony Thompson will be visiting Kentucky basketball.

As the calendar changes from 2024 to 2025, Mark Pope and his staff are working hard on recruiting for both the 2025 and 2026 classes. To the latter, Kentucky basketball is getting a visit from Anthony Thompson from the ’26 class.

Thompson is a 6’7″, 185 lb forward out of Ohio. He’s currently rated five stars by 247sports, and is ranked as the number nine overall player in the class. He’s the number three small forward in the class.

Related: Early look at the potential 2025 Kentucky basketball roster

The top ten recruit visited Lexington back in October, but is coming back. Thompson told Kentucky Sports Radio that he will be in Lexington on Saturday for Kentucky’s game against the Florida Gators. He already has an offer from Pope and the Wildcats as well.

A decision from Thompson isn’t imminent, but Kentucky seems to be making positive impressions. That’s important if they want to get a commitment when he gets to that point. He’s a very talented player and would be a great addition to the 2026 class.

Lamont Butler is Kentucky’s most important player this season

Point guard Lamont Butler is Kentucky’s most important player.

When Mark Pope was hired as the new Kentucky basketball coach in the Spring, he had to completely rebuild the roster. Among some of the flashier players he brought in, like three-time Defensive Player of the Year Amari Wiliams and elite shooter Koby Brea, was point guard Lamont Butler.

Butler played for four seasons at San Diego State and was a key member of the team that made the 2023 Final Four. Now, he’s at Kentucky, and is the Wildcats most important player.

Against Louisville, Butler played his best game, scoring 33 points while shooting 10-for-10 from the floor. However, he’s not just valuable for his scoring.

Related: Best photos from Kentucky’s win over Louisville

One of the reasons Pope recruited Butler was his defense, and he has been excellent in that regard. Opponents are shooting just 27.5% from three point range, and he is a part of that. He’s a terrific on-ball defender, who can lock down opposing guards.

Butler has also been a clutch shooter this season, making 33% of his three-point attempts. He has also been terrific at driving to the basket and getting easy buckets or fouled in the attempt. He’s shooting over 60% from the field as a whole.

Kentucky has a deep, talented, and experienced roster, and any player can take over a game on any give night. However, it’s Butler that makes it go with his defense and passing ability. He’s a leader and plays hard every time down the floor. If the Wildcats make noise in March, he’ll certainly be a huge part of it.

Kentucky basketball is preparing for the looming scheduling gauntlet

Kentucky basketball will face a difficult schedule of the next few weeks.

Just over a month out of SEC play, and Kentucky basketball is preparing for one of its toughest stretches of the season.

Wildcat basketball kicks off a two-week gauntlet this Tuesday with a matchup against Clemson.

The Tigers are 7-1 to start the season, with their only loss coming against Boise State on November 17. They’re a tough out by every stretch, as ESPN expert Joe Lunardi currently has Clemson as a ten seed in his latest Bracketology.

Their next matchup is arguably their toughest of the regular season, as Kentucky is slated to play Gonzaga on Saturday, December 7. The Bulldogs (7-1) are the fourth-ranked team in the country and a one seed in Lunardi’s latest.

Related: Kentucky leads the nation in points scored per game

These matchups are two that the team is preparing for — particularly with physicality.

“You know, next week is our first true road game. Really, it’s going to be essentially our first true road games against elite level talent,” said Wildcats coach Mark Pope. “Both insanely physical teams. Clemson incredibly physical.  Gonzaga, I know Gonzaga well. We been messing with them for a long time and coach Hughes is probably the best in college basketball or close to it, I don’t know how to rate them. Gonzaga is always insanely physical and part of their team that people miss sometimes.  It’s something, we are going into a combat week where it’s going to be a massively physical game.”

The Wildcats then have somewhat of a lull, taking on 2-5 Colgate the following Wednesday, December 11.

Then it’s straight back into action, as Kentucky is set to host blood-rival Louisville (5-2) at Rupp Arena on Saturday, December 14.

Kentucky basketball has the nation’s top-ranked scoring offense

Kentucky basketball is now leading the country in points scored per game.

On Wednesday, we reported that Kentucky basketball had the third-ranked scoring offense in the country. That’s no longer true, as the Wildcats have now climbed to the top spot in the nation.

Kentucky (7-0) now has the top-ranked scoring offense, averaging 96.7 points per game through the team’s first seven contests.

The jump comes after the Wildcats took home a 105-76 win over Georgia State boosting the team to that top spot. Those 105 points brought Kentucky’s points per game average up over a whole point, as they were previously at 95.3 points per game.

It also helps that the two teams ranked ahead of Kentucky going in to Wednesday — Utah State and UNC Wilmington — each underperformed.

In between, Utah State won the NIT Tip-Off — downing both St. Bonaventure (72-67) and North Texas (61-57) en route to the tournament win. The Aggies are off to a strong start to the season, now sitting at 7-0.

Related: Clara Strack named Music City Classic MVP

The problem for Utah State is that each game lack offensive potency. Tougher opponents mean tighter games, and Utah State’s high flying offense felt that.

As such, the Aggies have now dropped from first to tenth in scoring offense, now averaging 89.4 points per contest.

UNC Wilmington (4-2), meanwhile, underperformed in both of their games at the Live Oak Bank Classic this week after not having played since their 66-84 loss to Kansas on November 19. The Seahawks fell to Colgate on Wednesday, 59-72, but beat Sam Houston on Friday 69-60.

The pair of low-scoring games meant that UNC Wilmington’s average has fallen to 86.3 points per game.

Kentucky basketball returns this Tuesday, December 3, for a matchup against the Clemson Tigers.

Fifth-Year Senior Koby Brea takes his first career charge

Kentucky ‘s Koby Brea took the first charge of his college career on Friday against Georgia St.

Weird things were happening with Georgia sports teams on Friday night. As the Georgia Bulldogs-Georgia Tech started to roll into overtime, the Kentucky basketball game against Georgia State came to an end.

It wasn’t weird in the same way the eight-overtime football matchup was. Kentucky won handily, taking home a 105-76 win.

No, it was weird for one player in particular: Koby Brea.

The senior guard, who had started the season shooting 67.6% from three through Kentucky’s first six games, was just 2/7 in the seventh.

Brea did come alive later in the game, finishing with 10 points — including a monster dunk to bring the Wildcat lead to 18 halfway through the second half.

Related: Kentucky’s offense has been key for the Wildcats

What was maybe even weirder in that performance was somewhat of a fun fact: the fifth-year senior had never taken a charge. Not once in any of the four seasons he played at Dayton, nor through his first six games with the Wildcats.

Until Friday night, when Brea took a charge late in the second half defending Zarique Nutter — Georgia State’s leading scorer with 19 points.

The Panther guard drove in from the wing, ultimately committing his fifth and final foul. Nutter went to the bench, and fans in Lexington erupted alongside Koby Brea and the Wildcats.

“We were complimenting him after the game, and he revealed to our team–you know, he’s a fifth-year senior, and he was like, ‘guys, that was the first charge I’ve ever taken’,” said Kentucky head coach Mark Pope. “So, you guys were all here to witness Koby Brea’s first charge ever. He was so hyped about it and I’m sure it won’t be his last. That’s why you come to Kentucky, man.”

How Kentucky fares in Joe Lunardi’s latest edition of Bracketology

Kentucky basketball is up another spot in the latest edition of Joe Lunardi’s Bracketology.

Kentucky basketball is continuing to rise, setting the team up for strong positioning as they hurtle towards SEC play and March Madness.

The Kentucky Wildcats have risen to a two seed in ESPN college basketball expert Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology projection, which dropped Tuesday morning.

Per Lunardi’s prediction, Kentucky is still slated to play in the Midwest region. However, the team has risen a slot from last week’s edition — now sitting as the second best team in that corner of the bracket.

The Wildcats are slated to open play in this edition against the fifteenth-seeded University of North Florida, who are 4-2 to start the year. The winner of that matchup would then play whoever advances between seventh-seeded Xavier and tenth-seeded Michigan.

It’s no surprise Kentucky has continued to rise, capitalizing off of a strong win against Duke. In the week since, they’ve dominated their two opponents — beating Lipscomb 97-68 and Jackson State 108-59.

With the trio of recent wins, plus an 87-68 thumping of Western Kentucky in the BBN Invitational after the poll dropped, the Wildcats are now 6-0 in head coach Mark Pope’s inaugural campaign. They’ve shot up to eighth in the most recent USA Today Coaches Poll, and are absolutely rolling early in the year.

They’ll have a chance to continue shooting up the bracket this week, as they’ll only play Georgia State before Lunardi’s next prediction drops.

The next edition of Lunardi’s Bracketology will release next Tuesday, December 3.

Meet Mark Pope, the Kentucky men’s basketball coach who replaced John Calipari

Mark Pope won a championship while playing for Kentucky.

College basketball fans will see someone new on the sidelines coaching the Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team this season.

After a decade and a half with Kentucky, former Wildcats head coach John Calipari is no longer leading the program. Now the head coach at Arkansas, the longtime face of the team brought a few of his former players to a new school in the SEC.

In his absence, former BYU head coach Mark Pope is now running the show for Kentucky.

OTHER NEW COACHES: The men’s NCAA basketball coaching carousel’s biggest moves, including John Calipari to Arkansas

Pope is originally from Washington and played college basketball for the Washington Huskies, where he was named Pac-10 Freshman of the Year in 1992.

He eventually transferred to Kentucky, where he played from 1994 until 1996. As a forward, he was team captain for the Wildcats when they won the NCAA men’s basketball championship in 1996.

Selected in the second round of the 1996 NBA Draft, he played professionally both overseas and in the NBA. After his playing career concluded, he began coaching.

Pope served as an assistant coach at Georgia, Wake Forest, and BYU before becoming head coach at Utah Valley in 2015. Pope took over as head coach for the Cougars in 2019 and was able to take the team to the March Madness tournament last season.

Now the head coach of his alma mater, fans will have high hopes for Pope’s first season. While several players left the team for the NBA or the transfer portal, he will bring former BYU top scorer Jaxson Robinson with him to the Wilcats.

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