When Mark Pope was hired as the head coach of the Kentucky basketball program, some were worried that he was not ready for this job. Quickly into his first year in Lexington, Pope has proven he is one of the young stars in the coaching profession,

With Lamont Butler and Jaxson Robinson watching how it ended from the sidelines, Mark Pope saw the best of Kentucky basketball right before his eyes.

Even with injuries affecting the Kentucky basketball roster, Mark Pope would prefer to play with a 10-man rotation. The returns have been uneven.

Kentucky coach Mark Pope tells ESPN that both Jaxson Robinson and Lamont Butler are "genuine game-time decisions" against South Carolina (noon). Pope said Robinson had a "brutal collision" in practice Friday and hurt his wrist.

In the big picture of Kentucky basketball, the 23 games Mark Pope has served as head coach is not an ample sample size. Nevertheless, as No. 15 UK (16-7, 5-5 SEC) prepares to face No. 5 Tennessee (20-4, 7-4 SEC) at Rupp Arena on Tuesday night, some trends have emerged that seem likely to shape the future of Pope’s tenure as Wildcats coach.

The Kentucky Wildcats' back-to-back ugly losses have the vocal portion of the fanbase quickly turning on first-year head coach Mark Pope.

Kentucky and Arkansas both have new head basketball coaches, and these coaches are set to face off in Rupp Arena on Saturday evening. Coach Mark Pope and John