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INDIANAPOLIS — Kentucky’s 78-65 loss to Tennessee in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament Sweet 16 wasn’t the ending UK coach Mark Pope probably envisioned for his first season at the helm. But it’s really just the beginning.
Pope erased any trepidation that a coach who had never won an NCAA Tournament game could handle the spotlight at Kentucky. That the program would regress after 15 seasons of collectively having the best NBA talent just about every year under former coach John Calipari.
That era might not ever repeat itself at UK and that's okay. Pope showed he can win his way.
Winning eight games against teams ranked in the top 15, which tied the program record, wasn’t by mistake. He assembled a team that probably won’t have any first round picks and made them into a top 10 team before injuries decimated their depth and ultimately contributed to their exit at the hands of Tennessee.
For those UK fans keeping score, and there was definitely a group constantly peeking to see what Calipari was doing at Arkansas, both teams lost in the Sweet 16.
Of course, none of that made losing to the Vols any easier.
The scoring that seemed to come so easily through Pope designed sets got either taken away or were heavily contested on Friday. UK made 12 3-pointers in both of its regular season wins over Tennessee, but only managed six in their loss.
Things sure seemed dark for UK for 40 minutes against Tennessee, but it can't erase a bright future under Pope ahead.
This column will be updated.
Reach sports columnist C.L. Brown at [email protected], follow him on X at @CLBrownHoops and subscribe to his newsletter at profile.courier-journal.com/newsletters/cl-browns-latest to make sure you never miss one of his columns.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky vs Tennessee basketball score: March Madness Sweet 16 column
Continue reading...
Pope erased any trepidation that a coach who had never won an NCAA Tournament game could handle the spotlight at Kentucky. That the program would regress after 15 seasons of collectively having the best NBA talent just about every year under former coach John Calipari.
That era might not ever repeat itself at UK and that's okay. Pope showed he can win his way.
Winning eight games against teams ranked in the top 15, which tied the program record, wasn’t by mistake. He assembled a team that probably won’t have any first round picks and made them into a top 10 team before injuries decimated their depth and ultimately contributed to their exit at the hands of Tennessee.
For those UK fans keeping score, and there was definitely a group constantly peeking to see what Calipari was doing at Arkansas, both teams lost in the Sweet 16.
Of course, none of that made losing to the Vols any easier.
The scoring that seemed to come so easily through Pope designed sets got either taken away or were heavily contested on Friday. UK made 12 3-pointers in both of its regular season wins over Tennessee, but only managed six in their loss.
Things sure seemed dark for UK for 40 minutes against Tennessee, but it can't erase a bright future under Pope ahead.
This column will be updated.
Reach sports columnist C.L. Brown at [email protected], follow him on X at @CLBrownHoops and subscribe to his newsletter at profile.courier-journal.com/newsletters/cl-browns-latest to make sure you never miss one of his columns.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky vs Tennessee basketball score: March Madness Sweet 16 column
Continue reading...
