NEW YORK —

Mark Pope had an edge after the Cats 83-66 loss to No. 17 Michigan State in the Champions Classic in New York's Madison Square Garden.

It was a setback that dropped No. 12 Kentucky to 3-2 this season and was their second high-profile loss in a week.

"We're far away from the team that we hoped to aspire to be," Pope said. "And we can't waste a second on, on trying to grow into that. We're disappointed and discouraged, and completely discombobulated right now, and so. So we just had work to do. And so there's no time like the present."

It's the second straight season that Pope and the Cats have lost in New York. They fell 85-65 to Ohio State last December.

Pope is 27-14 in two seasons as the Cats' head coach.

"I've got to do a better job," Pope added. "My messaging is not re

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