Kentucky HC Mark Pope's big regret after heartbreaking loss to Alabama
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One of the best games of the college basketball season took place on Saturday as Nate Oats and No. 4 Alabama went on the road to Rupp Arena to take on Mark Pope and No. 8 Kentucky in Lexington. The two teams battled back and forth in a high-scoring affair before Alabama eventually made a few more plays to come out on top 102-97.
Kentucky had its chances to win this game, but a few shots that went in for Alabama late and a couple of empty possessions by the Wildcats made all the difference in this one and could be a huge factor in the race for the SEC regular season title down the stretch of the regular season. This loss drops Kentucky to just 3-2 in conference play this season as the calendar nears the end of January.
After the game, Pope expressed what he thought was the reason for the loss in front of the Kentucky fans at home, via Nick Kosko of On3 Sports.
“We can be so much better,” Pope said after the Kentucky loss, per Kosko. “I think that's the biggest thing. I mean, listen, Alabama's terrific team. I mean, they're a great team. And it's not taking anything away from Alabama when I say that, but we just, we've left so much on the table. There's so much room for us to grow. There's so many spaces where we can get better. In particular, playing this style of game, and that's going to be the nature of the season.”
It felt like Alabama was in control of the game against Kentucky for the most part, even though it was a tight affair for the most part. Even in a result that it would not have wanted, there is still plenty of reason to be optimistic about this Kentucky team moving forward. Pope and company have now played five games in SEC play and all five came against teams currently ranked in the AP top 25.
The SEC is one of the toughest conferences in college basketball this season, and Kentucky has two more very challenging games against Vanderbilt and Tennessee on the road coming up to close the month of January. Despite the difficult path, this is still one of the best offenses in the country on any court and that alone will give the Wildcats a chance to win any game.
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