Iām still puzzled by the choices of stats CMP shared. (And it makes me wonder about the methodology used for in-game analytics, like when to make substitutions, etcā¦.)
To clearly dig at Cal was not wise, considering Cal is still in the dance, coaching in his second straight Sweet 16. And won this yearās SEC Tournament. We all are aware of how dire the post-seasons were from 2021-2024, but to say weāre making progress
this year leaves me with few words when we won one NCAA tournament game (barely) and then got blown out the next, but last year made the Sweet 16.
Although the lack of post-season wins and all the drama behind the scenes drove a wedge between Cal and the BBN, it is unwise to make the comparisons Pope did, considering Calās exceptional overall
record (2020-21 excluded, the last several years had āgoodā regular seasons by most standards; it was the lack of post-season wins that broke the camelās back).
This is Popeās record at UK
Popeās First Year: 2024-2025
24-12
Ended the Year Ranked 18 in the AP Poll
1 SEC Tournament Win
2 NCAA Tournament Wins, Lost in Sweet 16
Popeās Second Year: 2026-2026
22-14
Ended the Year Unranked
2 SEC Tournament Wins
1 NCAA Tournament Win
We donāt need to go back to include four seasons prior to that to gauge āprogress.ā