Following Kentucky basketballAfter the 96-88 loss to Louisville, head coach Mark Pope didn’t hesitate to reflect on his team’s unusual performance during his press conference on Thursday.
The Wildcats struggled to deal with turnovers, defensive mistakes and emotional control in their first major road test of the season, falling short in the rivalry game despite a late comeback attempt.
“That’s what I’m leaning on right now, trying to understand why we were out of character in a lot of ways,” Pope said Thursday. “There are a lot of factors that contribute to this. There were a lot of factors for us. I’m not ready to tell the story yet, but at some point we’ll talk in detail about our pregame experience at Louisville.
“It didn’t fit us. It’s young and new. I don’t want to control our emotions. I want to keep them focused, intentional.”
Pope’s comments hinted at deeper issues behind the team’s mindset before the game, suggesting Kentucky’s inexperience and heightened emotions played a role in the loss.
Despite the loss, Pope said he is confident the lessons learned from the Louisville game will fuel the team’s growth in the future. And to achieve this, he is changing the way the team trains.
“Today will be the first time we’ve had a practice exactly like today, so we’re going to learn some things,” Pope said.
The Wildcats will have a quick turnaround and return home to face Eastern Illinois Friday night at Rupp Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on SEC Network Plus, giving Kentucky a chance to regroup and get back on track before diving deeper into the non-conference slate.
