It's safe to say University of Kentucky head basketball coach Mark Pope and his staff can count is first season at the Wildcat helm. When you build a team from scratch, pre-season question marks dominate the conversation.

Mark Pope's First Season at UK

Coach Pope literally started with nothing in 2024. When John Calipari left for Arkansas, multiple players went with him. Others exited through the transfer portal until there was no one left. All Pope did was bury his nose in the grindstone and got busy building a team that eventually made it to the Sweet 16 in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. That, by the way, was UK's first appearance in a regional semifinal in six years , an eternity in Lexington.

Along the way, Kentucky secured eight wins over top-15 opponents, the most in program histor

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