The Mark Pope era in Kentucky arrived with a bang, and the Wildcats’ faithful must be happy. Former head coach John Calipari dubbed Pope “the perfect guy for the job” before passing him the whistle. And, Pope is living up to the billing. With an impressive 8-1 start to the season, the Wildcats are showing flashes of their former glory. Sure, they’ve had slow starts, but the new coach’s ‘halftime adjustments’ have been masterful. Fascinated?
According to The Field of 68, Pope has more wins when trailing by 16 or more points at halftime in just five weeks than Calipari managed in 15 years. The Wildcats, under Pope’s short stint so far are 1-0 in such games, compared to a glaring 0-6 under Cal. Hence, everyone is now wondering if the program’s best days might actually be ahead, not behind.
Kentucky’s recent thrilling 90-89 overtime win against Gonzaga marked a historic record. The Wildcats trailed 50-34 at halftime—a daunting 16-point deficit—against the No. 7 Bulldogs. Andrew Carr’s 19 points spearheaded the comeback, while Amari Williams and Otega Oweh delivered clutch buckets in overtime.
Kentucky outscored Gonzaga 56-39 after halftime, tying the game at 79 with just 49 seconds left in regulation. Oweh’s go-ahead layup in overtime sealed the deal. Gonzaga’s 175-game winning streak when leading by double digits at halftime as a result of this defeat? Snapped!
