Pope bashers

[paulcalhoun_rivals397471]

The point was, in this era, it doesn't take 3 yrs to build your program or roster. Dusty May is an obvious "extreme" example, but it also shows it CAN be done. Which is and was the point. I've always been cool with the third year. If nothing else, I think it will prove what we all probably know. Pope is "okay", but okay isn't good enough here.

My only agenda is the Cats being nationally relevant and at or near the top of the SEC. The results in Pope's first two years aren't that.

It's not an era thing. Pitino went 22-6 and won the SEC while on probation in year 2. Cal went 35-3 here right out of the gate and made a Final Four year two. I'm sure there are other rare examples that could be come up with as well. It means little to nothing. These are rare examples with results that are not a given just by changing coaches.

 

[Eagles_Ball_69]

Just short? It was the 2nd worst NCAAT loss (by margin of defeat) in UK history.

And needed a half court prayer in the first round. But, you know, injuries and stuff.

 

[Eagles_Ball_69]

It's not an era thing. Pitino went 22-6 and won the SEC while on probation in year 2. Cal went 35-3 here right out of the gate and made a Final Four year two. I'm sure there are other rare examples that could be come up with as well. It means little to nothing. These are rare examples with results that are not a given just by changing coaches.

It's a completely different landscape. How you navigate it matters. Spending as much or more than anyone AND having the UK brand to boost you, while also not building elite rosters has been, IMHO, his biggest issue. I think we all can say that when Pope was hired he was a reach at best given his history. The hope (man, that word) was that the UK brand would give him the boost he needed. So far, that just hasn't been the case. I honestly think if he has a breakout year, that might happen. But man, he's got to have the breakthrough. It can't be another S16 and middle of the pack conference finish. He's got to have a team that is at or near the top all year long, and it's really hard for me to envision this team being that type of a team.

 

[paulcalhoun_rivals397471]

It's a completely different landscape. How you navigate it matters. Spending as much or more than anyone AND having the UK brand to boost you, while also not building elite rosters has been, IMHO, his biggest issue. I think we all can say that when Pope was hired he was a reach at best given his history. The hope (man, that word) was that the UK brand would give him the boost he needed. So far, that just hasn't been the case. I honestly think if he has a breakout year, that might happen. But man, he's got to have the breakthrough. It can't be another S16 and middle of the pack conference finish. He's got to have a team that is at or near the top all year long, and it's really hard for me to envision this team being that type of a team.

The book is very much still out whether NIL and the portal have made it easier or harder to stock enough talent at UK to overcome the extraordinary level of injuries Pope has dealt with.

Do you think Pitino pulls off what he did year two with Mashburn and Woods injured pretty much all season along with other key players missing time? What about if Cal lost Wall and Cousins most the year and then lost Bledsoe as well or if Patterson was hobbled a large chunk of the season with a bad back? All this against a much tougher schedule than they actually played against? How many key contributors missed significant time for Michigan last season? Didn't their entire starting lineup play all 40 games?

2025-26 Michigan Wolverines Men's Roster and Stats | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com

Check out the detailed 2025-26 Michigan Wolverines Roster and Stats for College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com

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[Eagles_Ball_69]

The book is very much still out whether NIL and the portal have made it easier or harder to stock enough talent at UK to overcome the extraordinary level of injuries Pope has dealt with.

Do you think Pitino pulls off what he did year two with Mashburn and Woods injured pretty much all season along with other key players missing time? What about if Cal lost Wall and Cousins most the year and then lost Bledsoe as well or if Patterson was hobbled a large chunk of the season with a bad back? All this against a much tougher schedule than they actually played against? How many key contributors missed significant time for Michigan last season? Didn't their entire starting lineup play all 40 games?

2025-26 Michigan Wolverines Men's Roster and Stats | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com

Check out the detailed 2025-26 Michigan Wolverines Roster and Stats for College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com

www.sports-reference.com

Agree completely with statement one.

It's a results driven business. Cal and Pitino had the equity and everyone knew they were an elite coach. The same can't be said of Pope. We still don't know on Pope, and we might never know if the "injuries" happen again. Cal and Pitino would've gotten a pass. Why? We already knew they were big time winning coaches. Pope has to do it, injuries be damned, or his time is short.

 

[PastorofMuppets82]

Agree completely with statement one.

It's a results driven business. Cal and Pitino had the equity and everyone knew they were an elite coach. The same can't be said of Pope. We still don't know on Pope, and we might never know if the "injuries" happen again. Cal and Pitino would've gotten a pass. Why? We already knew they were big time winning coaches. Pope has to do it, injuries be damned, or his time is short.

100% - Cal had just won the NC in 2012 and followed it up in 2013 with a first round loss in the NIT to Robert Morris. The pass (Noel going down in Feb against Florida I think it was and finishing at .500 for the rest of the season). They missed the NCAA tournament and got beat in the NIT. One significant injury that MUST have been the reason we had a bad season. But it was early February and we were 17-7, and 8-3 in the SEC. We had already gotten blown out by unranked Notre Dame, lost to unranked Baylor in Rupp, lost to Duke, lost to LVL, and gotten blown out by unranked Texas A&M in Rupp already that year with a healthy roster.

The first game after Noel's injury we got our doors blown off by unranked Tennessee by 30 points. Vanderbilt beat us in the first round of the SEC tournament by almost 20 points. Cal got a pass, that entire team got a pass, for one injury. And history doesn't remember how bad that team was BEFORE Noel got hurt. Cal obviously rebounded and brought in great recruiting classes after that. Pope doesn't have that luxury. He doesn't have the credentials to sustain a "bad luck" year. Cal did.

 

[Catastic5]

Again, the two best players Pope built the entire team around out.

Making it that far was a pretty decent coaching job by Pope. It wasn’t a very talented squad. It got to the tournament due in large part to coaching.

People who use Quaintence, an already injured player, in an argument for why Pope failed is not arguing in good faith. Pope took a risk, and it blew up in his face.

 

[KyCPA2000]

Obviously our goal is always to win titles but lets not pretend like this is equal to the vast majority of our history. You can't equally weigh 3rd place in a 10-12 team conference of comparatively weak teams to a very strong 16 team conference. To finish 3rd in the SEC this year requires finishing ahead of the 8th ranked team in the country in the preseason rankings. It's an admirable goal but acting like anything less is garbage and automatically demands a firing is ridiculous.

In any three given years, not on probation, UK should be in the top 10 at least one. So no, it is not as ridiculous as some think.

 

[Resignmarkpope]

In any three given years, not on probation, UK should be in the top 10 at least one. So no, it is not as ridiculous as some think.

Mark pope doesn’t know what top 10 is

 

[PastorofMuppets82]

Year 1 the Wildcats were ranked in the top 10 for ten consecutive weeks after beating Duke and rising to #4 in AP poll and held that spot for over 2 months. But yeah, feelings over facts, cause trolls gotta troll.

 

[wildcat111]

Can we get them to all come to this thread, round them all up here and we can see all the negative people at once. I lose track of who is who in the other threads.

Somebody tell me what is wrong for wanting and expecting to finish higher than 9th in the SEC?? Does that make me a Pope basher??

 

[Resignmarkpope]

Year 1 the Wildcats were ranked in the top 10 for ten consecutive weeks after beating Duke and rising to #4 in AP poll and held that spot for over 2 months. But yeah, feelings over facts, cause trolls gotta troll.

Year 1 the Wildcats were ranked in the top 10 for ten consecutive weeks after beating Duke and rising to #4 in AP poll and held that spot for over 2 months. But yeah, feelings over facts, cause trolls gotta troll.

Sounds like something Indiana fans would say. Fake juice! December rankings meaningless. Ranked in February is what counts. Pope fans are reaching. Ranked in December

 

[Lameguy]

Somebody tell me what is wrong for wanting and expecting to finish higher than 9th in the SEC?? Does that make me a Pope basher??

Not a thing, but it was getting to the point that it was nothing but toxic. How many times do we have to hear “Pope Whiffs“, “Pope is goofing”, “Pope can’t coach”, “Pope can’t recruit”. Are you a Pope basher, did you repeatedly make any of those comments, if so maybe you are a Pope basher.

 

[UKGrad24]

Imagine that someone actually watched it, watched pope, and that’s what they came away with. Imagine they can also secure data without actually performing it themselves, making it lazy proof.

and that’s what they come away with. Confirmation bias and cognitive dissonance are very real things.