There are numerous ways that we can improve.” Mark Pope responds to the defeat of Ohio State by the United Kingdom.
Following the Wildcats’ 85-65 loss against Ohio State, Mark Pope, the men’s basketball coach of Kentucky, speaks to the media.
No. 4 Kentucky 65, Ohio State 85 For additional coverage of Saturday’s men’s basketball game between Kentucky and Ohio State in New York City from the Herald-Leader and Kentucky.com, click here.
On Saturday night, Mark Pope’s return to New York City did not go as expected. The first-year UK basketball coach went back to his hometown, played basketball professionally for a while, then went to medical school before becoming a coach.
Even though that plot dominated the lead-up to UK’s matchup with Ohio State in the CBS Sports Classic, the game’s final score is what stands up now. Inside Madison Square Garden, Ohio State (8-4) defeated Kentucky (10-2) by a score of 20 points.
The Wildcats lost to the Buckeyes 85-65. During the game, Kentucky only made 17 of 57 field goals (29.8%), which was a terrible shooting performance. Kentucky gave up 36 points in the paint to the Buckeyes, who had a lead for over 31 minutes, while UK only made four of its 22 3-point attempts (18.2%). Bruce Thornton, a junior guard, scored 30 points for Ohio State.
Former Cat Aaron Bradshaw scored 11 points off the bench in his lone appearance for the Buckeyes this season. On a night when Kentucky struggled on both ends of the court, junior guard Otega Oweh led the Cats in scoring with 21 points. Oweh went 13 for 13 from the free-throw line but only made four of his 13 field goals.
In what was a memorable night for the Wildcats, Oweh was joined in double figures by fifth-year guard Jaxson Robinson (10 points) and big man Andrew Carr (13 points). Pope met with reporters at The Garden following the game to discuss the crushing loss. Here are all of Pope’s remarks. introductory remarks. Ohio State deserves a great deal of credit since they outperformed us in almost every aspect of the game. Thus, congrats to them. There are numerous methods for us to improve. We must perform better.
It seemed to me that our boys were looking for some battle, some energy, and some juice. We simply didn’t measure up. Thus, we will accept inquiries. Concern on Kentucky’s inability to overcome an early disadvantage against Ohio State and its tendency to fall behind in games.
A few things, then. First of all, we were never able to keep up with the game’s pace. We struggled to keep up with the game’s tempo. Throughout the whole game, Bruce Thornton had complete control over every aspect of it.
Thus, they felt at ease when holding the ball. That was difficult for us to handle; space defense was difficult for us. Listen, I have amazing basketball players and lovely people on this team. We simply haven’t been able to muster any enthusiasm for this game. Concern with Kentucky’s decision to let Ohio State shoot 57% from the field. They turned us away a lot. For us, it was quite difficult.
It was just surprising; we’ve been pretty solid in that space and so we’re an (indiscernible) team and we just got rejected over and over and over again. It was a schematic issue on my part in terms of, I’ve been fighting to push our bigs out to the point of the screen and thinking we can manage it. And so when you push your bigs up to the point of the screen and you’re getting rejected, the lane is wide-open. So that’s an issue that I had that I’ve got to fix.
We tried a bunch of different scheme changes and we just, at the end of the day, I mean Thornton, was too good for us. That was just today. He was just too good for us today. Kind of, everything we tried, it seemed like he had a pretty good answer for us. Kentucky head coach Mark Pope talks to his players during the second half against Ohio State at Madison Square Garden.
John Jones USA TODAY NETWORK Question about what injured guard Kerr Kriisa could have brought to the game in terms of energy. Well, Kerr’s a terrific player. He’s terrific. But we have the guys on this team to go win this game. We didn’t.
We just didn’t. That’s a space where we’ll continue to grow. Kerr’s is making a huge contribution for us in the locker room and on the bench and he’ll continue to do that. And man, we certainly need that from him. Question about how UK will respond after this game with a long break and just one more game before SEC play starts. I know exactly how these guys will respond.
Like, they’re going to really, really try as hard as they can to not let this destroy their couple days off. Their job is to get really fresh right now and when we get back together on the 26th. And I know these guys, They’ll come in and it’s not going to be just empty emotion. It’s going to be ‘We’re going to get better.’ And these guys will get better. We’ve just got to keep trusting what we do.
We had some defensive struggles tonight and then we just fell to pieces offensively. We just went to our default and our default is not right yet. Our default is still bad habits. And it’s not bad habits coming out of a bad place in guys’ hearts. It’s coming from a great place. It’s coming from a desperation to help their team. But we don’t do that by ourselves.
We do it disciplined and we do it the way we do it. And we do it by making plays for each other, and that’s still not our default. That’s just a trust-building process. And sometimes when things go wrong, it can build your trust because you get to see, ‘Hey, this doesn’t work’ when we try to do this this way.
But these guys will respond beautifully because they’re incredible young men and they’ll come back and they’ll work like crazy. I know who they represent and how much it means. It’s incredibly painful to lose this game. But they’ll respond. Question about Kentucky only attempting 22 3-pointers against Ohio State. In the second half, we struggled.
Like I said, we just fell into, kind of, we just fell into a space where it was like “me, trying to make a play to fix the team,’ instead of trying to fix the team by making a play for my teammate.
I know that sounds 30,000-foot level, but it was a bunch of possessions our guys wish they could get back. When they look at it, be like, ‘Oh, man, that’s exactly what we don’t do.’ But it takes a ton of discipline when you’re frustrated and you’re fighting a ton of battles and when you get stressed.
I needed to help these guys more on the defensive end and we just couldn’t find an answer there. You’re dealing with all that baggage and just, you’re slippage; your default, our default,’s not in the right place yet. We’ll get there. We’ll get there. This is a group that’s going to learn and grow. They’ve grown so much and we’ll continue to grow. We’ll get better.
Saturday night’s game at Madison Square Garden was supposed to be a homecoming for Mark Pope, the first-year head coach of Kentucky’s men’s basketball team. However, what was expected to be a competitive showdown between Kentucky and Ohio State turned into a humbling experience for the Wildcats. The Buckeyes handed Kentucky a decisive 85-65 defeat, exposing significant flaws in the Wildcats’ game plan and execution.
For Pope, the loss marked an opportunity to assess his team’s current state and highlight areas for improvement. While Kentucky entered the game as the No. 4 team in the nation with a 10-1 record, the matchup against Ohio State served as a reality check. In a candid post-game press conference, Pope acknowledged the challenges his team faced and the work needed to bounce back.
A Tough Night in New York
The game’s statistics tell the story of Kentucky’s struggles. The Wildcats shot just 29.8% from the field, converting only 17 of their 57 attempts. Their three-point shooting was even more abysmal, hitting just 18.2% (4 of 22) from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Ohio State dominated inside, scoring 36 points in the paint and shooting an impressive 57% overall.
Junior guard Bruce Thornton was unstoppable for the Buckeyes, dropping 30 points and dictating the game’s tempo. Kentucky’s defense, usually a strong point, faltered under the pressure, unable to contain Thornton or disrupt Ohio State’s rhythm.
On Kentucky’s side, junior guard Otega Oweh led the team with 21 points, including a perfect 13-for-13 performance from the free-throw line. However, Oweh’s shooting struggles from the field (4-for-13) mirrored the team’s overall inefficiency. Supporting efforts from Jaxson Robinson (10 points) and Andrew Carr (13 points) weren’t enough to close the gap.
Mark Pope’s Takeaways
Following the loss, Pope was quick to credit Ohio State for their performance while reflecting on his team’s shortcomings. “Ohio State deserves a great deal of credit since they outperformed us in almost every aspect of the game,” Pope said. “There are numerous methods for us to improve. We must perform better.”
Pope identified several critical areas for improvement, including:
- Defensive Adjustments: The Wildcats struggled to keep up with the pace of the game and allowed too much space for Ohio State to operate. Pope acknowledged that his defensive schemes weren’t effective, especially in handling pick-and-roll situations where Kentucky’s big men were often out of position.
- Offensive Discipline: Kentucky’s offensive struggles went beyond poor shooting. Pope noted that the team fell into “bad habits” during moments of frustration, with players trying to create individual plays rather than working collectively. “Our default is still bad habits,” Pope said. “It’s not bad habits coming from a bad place, but from a desperation to help their team. But we don’t do it by ourselves.”
- Mental Toughness and Trust: Pope emphasized the importance of building trust within the team and sticking to their system, even under pressure. He expressed confidence in his players’ ability to respond positively to adversity, stating, “These guys will respond beautifully because they’re incredible young men, and they’ll come back and work like crazy.”
Looking Ahead
With a long break before their next game and the start of SEC play, the Wildcats have an opportunity to regroup and refine their approach. Pope stressed the importance of using this time to reset mentally and physically, ensuring the team comes back stronger.
The loss to Ohio State may be a painful reminder of the work ahead, but Pope remains optimistic. “It’s incredibly painful to lose this game,” he said. “But they’ll respond. This is a group that’s going to learn and grow. They’ve grown so much, and we’ll continue to grow.”
