Pope played two seasons at Kentucky, winning a national championship with the program in 1996 under legendary coach Rick Pitino. Following five seasons piloting BYU, Pope accepted the head job for the Wildcats this past April to succeed John Calipari.

One way or another, Mark Pope’s first team as head coach of his alma mater would join the deep history of Kentucky vs. Duke. Thankfully, it was part of Lexington's good history, as Pope’s 19th-ranked Wildcats defeated the sixth-ranked Blue Devils in Catlanta by a final score of 77-72.

Kentucky coach Mark Pope doesn’t need the best of the best now; he’s got himself a squad that has plenty of talent and heart.

On one of men’s college basketball’s biggest regular-season stages, Kentucky coaching made a decisive difference as the No. 19 Wildcats upset No. 6 Duke, 77-72, in the Champions Classic before an exuberant crowd of 16,107 at the State Farm Arena.

It wasn't an easy decision, but when Mark Pope decided to return to coach his alma mater, he took on all the pressure of UK fandom.

Otega Oweh knocked down four free throws in the final 10.3 seconds and No. 19 Kentucky claimed the first big win of Mark Pope’s coaching tenure, knocking off No. 6 Duke 77-72 at the Champions Classic in Atlanta.

Coach John Calipari leaving for Arkansas came as a bit of a shock, so it is always interesting to hear his former Kentucky player's thoughts on Coach Mark Pope

In the opening game of a doubleheader, top-ranked Kansas defeated Michigan State 77-69 to give Bill Self his 591st win as coach at Kansas. Self surpassed the legendary Phog Allen as the school’s all-time winningest coach.

After looking at Kentucky's performance against Wright State, it is hard to identify a bunch of areas where the Wildcats can improve, but not for Coach Mark Pop

Kentucky men’s basketball coach Mark Pope speaks to the media after the Wildcats’ 77-72 win over the Duke Blue Devils in the Champions Classic at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024.