LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Kentucky has a “rich person’s problem.” That’s how Mark Pope describes the overflowing depth of his roster. Talented transfers, blue-chip freshmen, and a preseason SEC Player of the Year in Otega Oweh. Ten players got 15 minutes or more in the exhibition win over Purdue.

“I haven't coached a team this deep before,” Pope said.

Everybody can play. That’s the wealth.

But this week at practice, the losing team in an underneath-out-of-bounds drill had to do the laundry.

Not the managers. The players. Three hours. Uniforms and all.

Call it Pope’s paradox. In a program that sells out 20,000 seats for a game that doesn’t count and has the largest reported payroll in the college game, Pope is building something rooted in humility, competition and intentional stillness.

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