Mark Pope Called It: Lamont Butler Delivers in Kentucky’s Second-Round Win
After Lamont Butler went scoreless in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Mark Pope made a bold prediction that Butler would have a bounce-back game against Illinois in the second.
“I actually think he’s going to be amazing tomorrow,” Pope said on Kentucky’s off-day between games. “It’s just how this game works. It’s how it rewards you.”
Pope called his shot because Butler was outstanding in Kentucky’s second-round win over the Illini against a projected lottery pick point guard in Kasaparus Jakucionis. Butler scored 14 points on 4-5 shooting from the field with five assists, out-scoring his season average (11.0 ppg) and knocking down four of his five free throws. He also hit two 3-pointers for only the third time since his MVP performance against Louisville in December.
Defensively, Butler was a menace, holding Jakucionis to 13 points with six turnovers. Butler also had three steals in the second-round win, including one of the game’s top plays: a steal and no-look assist to Brandon Garrison for an and-one score.
After the game, Butler, nicknamed “LaMarch” for his tournament history, said, “I was just playing my game,” adding that a new shoulder brace was a little less restrictive on his left arm.
“I was able to be more free today. I was just out there playing my game, trying to be aggressive. I got some open looks that I took, and that’s what went into it.”
“The head of the snake”
Even though Mark Pope predicted Butler’s big game, he was still excited to see it come to fruition. In Pope’s postgame comments, he noted that Butler hadn’t had a single live rep since suffering an injury early in the first game of the SEC Tournament and no contact in the practices since.
“So going into the game two days ago, it was a miracle that he was able to function the way he is,” said Pope. “Because you lose timing and rhythm and feel. You just do. That’s why you practice.”
Pope continued his praise of Butler, saying, “He’s such a quick study and a big-moment guy. I felt confident he was going to be special. It doesn’t always happen that way, but he was really special tonight. My goodness, he was really special for us and important.”
Pope called Butler a winner and a player who is desperate not to let down his teammates.
“It is in his soul from a deep, deep place about, like, I am going to rise up to the occasion for my team… He loves his guys, and he wants to perform for his guys. It’s pretty fun. It’s great.”
Kobe Brea added, “He’s the head of the snake for us. And we see how hard he goes, and it makes us want to go just as hard. He sets the tone for us.”
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