Kentucky fans blast Mark Pope after embarrassing NCAA Tournament exit
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Kentucky and John Calipari parted ways in 2024 after mounting disappointment over the Wildcats’ performances in the NCAA Tournament. In Calipari’s last three seasons in Lexington, the Wildcats lost in the first round in 2022 and 2024 and went out in the second round in 2023.
Calipari went to Arkansas. Meanwhile, Mark Pope, a member of the Wildcats’ 1996 championship team under Rick Pitino, was hired by Kentucky after five seasons at BYU to breathe new life into the program.
So far, that hasn’t happened. Pope eventually led the Wildcats to a Sweet 16 in 2025. On Sunday, though, their hopes for a second straight appearance were dashed by Iowa State in an 82-63 loss.
This was an 18-6 Wildcats lead just over seven minutes into the game. It took four-and-a-half minutes for that to disappear as a double-digit lead became a tie game. After Kam Williams’ three-pointer with 3:56 to go in the first half, the Wildcats didn’t make a single field goal as Iowa State eventually went from down seven to up one at halftime. The final blow was a nearly six-minute span in the second half that saw a 43-38 game turn into a 59-41 rout. The rest is history.
Obviously, Kentucky fans aren’t happy. This isn’t what they signed up for when Pope returned to the program. (Keep in mind, too, that this roster reportedly cost $20 to assemble.) Here’s a sampling of social media reaction after the game:
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
