Mark Pope is a man of the people. We know this. He’s stuck around for hours following games at Rupp Arena, signing every autograph and taking every picture until every member of Big Blue Nation left satisfied.

Kentucky plays No. 8 Tennessee tonight in Knoxville — a matchup that got even tougher with last night’s news that Lamont Butler is out — but John Calipari’s return to Lexington looms on the horizon. Kentucky vs.

Five things you need to know from No. 12 Kentucky’s gut-check 78-73 win at No. 8 Tennessee in SEC men’s basketball: 1. Mark Pope, slayer of rivals. There is a school of thought that one of a college head coach’s primary jobs is beating the teams his/her fan base dislike the most.

Kentucky played only one game last week, a loss at Vanderbilt. Here’s how badly that hurt the Wildcats in the rankings with a trip to Tennessee up next.

The Blue Devils boast what is not only the best defense in the ACC, but one of the most efficient in the nation. Despite starting three freshmen, head coach Jon Scheyer’s team has managed to allow just 59.

Unlike Lamont Butler, Andrew Carr was unable to take the floor against the Commodores on Saturday afternoon. A back injury prevented the fifth year senior from practicing for multiple weeks, and on Saturday, Pope made the decision to keep him out for the game.

Scheyer and his cohorts have extended offers to two other 2026 five-stars thus far in St. John Bosco High School (Calif.) guard Brandon McCoy Jr. and Compass Prep (Ariz.) forward Miikka Muurinen.

College GameDay will return yet again to Duke for the rivalry game against UNC instead of going to one of several massive SEC games.

Mark Pope left BYU 10 months ago to return to his alma mater Kentucky, where he plied his craft at the direction of legendary coach Rick Pitino. Now, as head coach roaming the sidelines of Rupp Arena, that leap of faith is paying off big time.

A Duke fan is okay after passing out in the student section during a Duke-NC State basketball game. The Blue Devils won once again.

Detailing the next step for Mark Pope when it comes to recruiting after the Wildcats missed on five-star prospect Caleb Wilson.