Pain today, promise tomorrow: How Mark Pope earned A-grade in debut season at Kentucky

“We’ll be talking about these guys 10 years from now.”

Those were Mark Pope‘s words at the podium following Kentucky’s season-ending loss to Tennessee — a bitter rival entering the matchup taking two decisive lumps on the chin during conference play. The Volunteers played inspired basketball, coming in with an edge and a want-to as they fought for loose balls and wreaked havoc defensively, making life unbearably difficult for the Wildcats to get shots off, let alone make them. Where the blue lacked in comfort, the orange more than made up for it, shooting 50.9 percent from the field while winning the rebounding battle 34-24 with 14 offensive boards leading to 19 second-chance points.

Tennessee controlled the game from start to finish and deserves a lot of credit for the performance. It was an excellent game plan that led to a season-low 15 three-point attempts for Kentucky with just six makes — four of those coming from Lamont Butler. The better team on Friday night advanced to the Elite Eight while the other leaves Indianapolis with yet another devastating loss in a city that has been nothing short of a nightmare with five straight losses, two coming in the NCAA Tournament.

The short-term frustration about the Wildcats’ performance and everything that came with it including the opponent, score and moment, though, should not overshadow the long-term joy this team has been and its impact on Pope’s future in Lexington.

Think about those first couple of weeks after the coaching change and the whirlwind of portal names that came through, how quickly this roster was put together and all of the programs across every level imaginable they came from. You had guys with game-winners in Final Fours down to mid-majors with home gyms holding 2,500 fans, all coming together to the island of misfit toys known as the Joe Craft Center with one common goal last summer. You felt it from day one, a care for this program and fanbase to win at the highest level for all of the right reasons. There was no ego, no unearned entitlement that they deserved something simply because they wore Kentucky across their chests. They made it clear every step of the way how much of an honor it was to be here and play on college basketball’s biggest stage.

There was also a dedication to performing at the highest level, too, something they undoubtedly achieved together. There weren’t participation trophies handed out with this group, guys just happy to be along for the ride. They knew what it meant to beat Duke in the Champions Classic and Louisville on their home floor, along with Gonzaga, Florida, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, Missouri, and yes, Tennessee twice. Those wins mattered. Making history as the school tied for the most top-15 wins college basketball has ever seen mattered.

It wasn’t just the wins, either. The losses mattered, too, the lows as painful as the highs were joy-filled. You never questioned if they cared about coming up short — remember Pope’s bloody fist in Oxford? This group was easy to love because their emotions aligned with yours game in and game out.

Your pain tonight is their pain, as it should be for Kentucky basketball. It sucks in real time and they’re certainly looking at the box score with the same woulda-coulda-shoulda thoughts as you with the rebounding, shooting and defense in this one-game sample size. The bright side? Like you, those frustrations will soon fade away as the nostalgia creeps back in and you remember what this team was able to accomplish given the circumstances.

This was a team with Jaxson Robinson (wrist) and Kerr Kriisa (foot) suffered season-ending injuries while Lamont Butler (ankle, shoulder) and Andrew Carr (back) missed games over the course of the year. Right when the rotation felt settled and you found some semblance of continuity, a new wrench was thrown in to mess it all up. It felt like the basketball gods were angry at this group as the bumps and bruises piled up to the point where the lineup was held together with sticks and glue. Through that, you won games you felt you had no business winning and put together a resume the selection committee deemed was 11th-best in the country. That is insane and worthy of nothing but praise, certainly when factoring in how the team handled the first weekend in Milwaukee.

The NCAA Tournament monkey on this program’s back was no joke. Failing to make a second weekend in a half-decade is inexcusable and part of the reason why the dominoes fell the way they did last offseason. Pope and these Wildcats had a ridiculous amount of weight on their shoulders for something totally out of their control, results that came before they ever dreamed they’d be at Kentucky this season. Staring that pressure in the face, they absolutely steamrolled through Troy and Illinois, trailing for a total of 49 seconds with a combined win total of 28 points. The No. 3 seed looked like a No. 3 seed for a change, leading to a stress-free weekend in Milwaukee and a full follow-up week preparing for the Sweet 16. With a full day of games on Thursday — including one featuring a former coach Big Blue Nation has watched closely all season long — the Wildcats entered Friday as one of 12 teams left in the entire field.

Those 40 minutes sucked, but you cannot tell me everything up to that point was anything short of an A-grade for Pope in his debut season and an A-grade for the players who made it all possible. You’ll never be able to take those eight top-15 and 12 Quad 1 wins away from these guys, all against name-brand schools and bitter rivals. History is history, folks.

Beyond the wins and stats, these guys established an expectation for what is demanded under Pope and how you want players to carry themselves with their priorities straight. These guys were easy to love and left you dreaming big of the future with similar portal-heavy groups prioritizing experience and winning personalities. The tall task Pope took on when starting the roster-building process was an overwhelming success with room for growth as his proof of product continues.

Tonight, we go to bed disappointed this ride has come to an end. Tomorrow, we wake up confident the program is in good hands.

Lastly, and above all else, **** Tennessee for eternity.

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