Mark Pope is a man of the people. We know this. He’s stuck around for hours following games at Rupp Arena, signing every autograph and taking every picture until every member of Big Blue Nation left satisfied.

Mark Pope‘s first season hasn’t been perfect. The five losses weren’t much fun, especially that one to Vanderbilt last weekend. Sometimes, the team’s physicality and hustle can be frustrating, like when opponents have 18 offensive rebounds or when 50/50 balls are more like 25/75 balls due to effort.

Unlike Lamont Butler, Andrew Carr was unable to take the floor against the Commodores on Saturday afternoon. A back injury prevented the fifth year senior from practicing for multiple weeks, and on Saturday, Pope made the decision to keep him out for the game.

The No. 8 Vols will host the No. 12 Wildcats on Tuesday, but this matchup is different from years past. For the first time in 15 years, John Calipari will

Mark Pope left BYU 10 months ago to return to his alma mater Kentucky, where he plied his craft at the direction of legendary coach Rick Pitino. Now, as head coach roaming the sidelines of Rupp Arena, that leap of faith is paying off big time.

With three key Kentucky players sidelined, Mark Pope’s team pulled off its most impressive victory of the season. Here’s how the Wildcats did it.

Predictions, picks and odds as No. 8 Tennessee basketball faces No. 12 Kentucky. Plus, injury updates and the latest news

The latest edition of the Tennessee-Kentucky rivalry goes down Tuesday night at 7 p.m. ET, when the No. 8 Volunteers host the No. 12 Wildcats. It’ll be the 241st men’s basketball matchup between the two programs, but the first for Kentucky coach Mark Pope.

Calipari returns to Kentucky for the first time Saturday when the Wildcats host Arkansas. The Razorbacks (12-8, 1-6) have this week off but No. 12 Kentucky (14-5, 3-3) has a huge game tonight at No. 8 Tennessee (17-3, 4-3).

Auburn and Alabama are aiming for deep NCAA Tournament runs. But both had issues over the weekend. Meanwhile Kentucky coach Mark Pope is dealing with multiple injuries on his squad.

The No. 8 Vols (17-4, 4-4 SEC) lost 78-73 to No. 12 Kentucky (15-5, 4-3) at Food City Center, its first home loss since March 9, 2024, against the Wildcats.

Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats took a 3-2 SEC ... team that looked a whole lot different than the running-and-gunning Florida Gators squad that the Cats beat three days earlier.