The Mark Pope Show presented by UK HealthCare, December 1st 2025

The Voice of the Wildcats, Tom Leach talks with head coach Mark Pope

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
There looks let's a fly.

Speaker 2 (00:05):
Yes, come on, stay, let's go, Let's go.

Speaker 3 (00:09):
Remounted, look back on.

Speaker 4 (00:12):
Oh provision, Let's street ball, take away ball? Right, can
tell fucking draft?

Speaker 1 (00:26):
What makes us different than everybody else?

Speaker 5 (00:29):
Is you?

Speaker 6 (00:31):
From the UK's Sports Network. This is the Mark Pope Show,
presented by UK Healthcare. To talk to Coach Pope called
the Clark's Pumping Shop phone line at eight five nine
two eight zero Cats that's eight five nine two eight
zero two two eight seven, or state wide at one
eight hundred six oh six game that's one eight hundred

(00:52):
and six oh six four two sixty three.

Speaker 7 (00:56):
Guys.

Speaker 6 (00:57):
Guys, guys, or you can tweet quest to at UK's
Sports Network. For Kentucky, The Mark Pope Show, presented my
UK Healthcare begins now. Alongside the coach, here's the Voice
Southern Cats, Tom Leach.

Speaker 3 (01:16):
Welcome in to the second installment of the Mark Pope
Show for this basketball season that is underway, and we'll
continue tomorrow night with this year's edition of the sec
ACC Challenge. The game will be at Raupp Arena and
it'll be Kentucky and North Carolina. We're doing a rivalry
that has stretched over a long period. They don't play

(01:38):
every year, but there have been times when they have.
There have been some memorable matchups on a lot of
different levels, including four Elite eight matchups. And we will
talk with Coach Pope about the matchup with the Tar
Heels tomorrow night, about how things are going for the
Wildcats and all of that is coming up on this
edition of The Mark Pope Show present by UK Healthcare

(02:02):
Mary drakesmis. For every fifty dollars in Drake's gift card purchases,
you can get a ten dollar bonus and a plush penguin.
So gift cards are available in store or you can
get them online at drakescomeplay dot com. This is the
Mark Pope Show presented by UK Healthcare and we'll be
right back on the UK Sports Network.

Speaker 6 (02:24):
You're listening to The Mark Pope Show presented by UK
Healthcare on the UK Sports Network. The Mark Pope Show
is brought to you by Coca Cola, Appalachian Regional Healthcare,
Little Caesars and by UK Healthcare.

Speaker 1 (02:39):
Tell Me Who's in that house tonight, UK by every
single day, for every.

Speaker 8 (02:48):
Single one, The Mark Pope Colin Show is brought to
you locally in Lexington by Baptist Health, lichervarn Skyline, Jilly
Kroger and Toyota.

Speaker 3 (03:01):
Hey Beautiful of thim Riek God.

Speaker 9 (03:05):
Go Love.

Speaker 6 (03:07):
Catch the wild Cats in Lexington all season long on
your home for Kentucky Basketball the UK Sports Network.

Speaker 9 (03:18):
Trent Noah U came in as basketball player here. I
needed a bank that would work with my busy schedule,
which is why I chose Fort Bank. They offer instant
issue debit cards. When you open an account in a
branch or, you can open one online at fort bank
dot Com. I can easily manage my account through their app.
Plus if I need to speak to a tailor, They're
available from seven am to seven pm Monday through Saturday

(03:38):
with on demand banking. Fort Bank stays on top of
their game, so I can stay on top of mind
message and data.

Speaker 10 (03:43):
Rks may apply if count opening subject to approval.

Speaker 3 (03:45):
Fort Bank member repeice, Hey, this.

Speaker 9 (03:46):
Is Trent Noah and I banked with Fort Bank.

Speaker 11 (03:49):
Toyota Thon is on and there's no better way to
get in the spirit of the season than with a
new Toyota. Now through December first get two point nine
to nine APR financing on remaining new twenty five to
comas excludes Tirdpro and Trail Hunter or Lisa Well Equipped
twenty five to coma SRBI for two fifty nine a
month or thirty nine months with thirty nine to ninety
nine do its signing with approved credit through TFS, text

(04:11):
title and licensed extra. Call one eight eight eight thirty
six Toyota for details or go to Toyota dot com
Toyota Let's Go Places.

Speaker 12 (04:20):
There's an er that's built for you. Buil to make
your drivetime shorter when every second counts. Built to give
you and your neighbors a trusted place to go when
something is wrong in an emergency. The er at Baptist
Health Hamburg is here for you twenty four to seven
with convenient patient centered care. Learn more at Baptistealth dot

(04:40):
com slash built for Hamburg. Baptist Health Hamburg is an
apartment of Baptist Health Lexington.

Speaker 10 (04:48):
The new DQ Crispy Onion Cheeseburger seven dollars meal deal
has everything you could want and more. First, there's the
juicy cheeseburger that comes with melty cheese and crunchy crispy
onions and a full size order of fries and a
drink and a Sunday and did we mention that it's
all just seven bucks At participating DQ locations, enjoy every

(05:10):
and with the new Crispy Onion cheeseburger seven dollars meal
deal here.

Speaker 3 (05:14):
For a limited time right now at DQ.

Speaker 8 (05:17):
Happy Tastes Good.

Speaker 3 (05:20):
Watch BBN Game Day presented by Cochi Saint Joseph Hospital
all season long. The show airs on Saturday mornings at
nine on WLX. Here in Lexington. You can check Ukathletics
dot com Slash UK Sports Network for TV affiliates and

(05:42):
times in your area. If you're outside the state, you
can also watch at ukathletics dot com Slash videos, or
you can watch on the Kentucky Wildcats Facebook page. Kentucky
and sixteenth rank North Carolina is coming up at nine
thirty Eastern time tomorrow, so it'll be a late start
eight o'clock Eastern times when the pregame will start. Here

(06:04):
are these UK Sports Network stations. Says we are joined
now by Coach Mark Pope. Do you have a nice
Thanksgiving you and the guys your family.

Speaker 1 (06:11):
I did have a great Thanksgiving.

Speaker 3 (06:12):
Actually that was the green being cast role.

Speaker 1 (06:14):
It was unbelievable. I ate almost all the green Bean
cast role by myself, and that was good. We had
just a massive group of people at the house, which
was wonderful. Everybody somehow associated with Kentucky basketball and it's
just the greatest people. Some people that I had never
met before, some of our managers' families that were so
fantastic and cool, and it was really special. And it's

(06:38):
a great day, man. Any day you get to sit
around and kind of think of all the things you're
grateful for as a good.

Speaker 3 (06:42):
Day, you know, that's that's one thing that you and
your staff and your players have to be extra thankful
for is the managers a.

Speaker 1 (06:51):
Lot of work. They worked incredibly hard. It's a NonStop,
a little bit of a thankless job.

Speaker 3 (06:58):
Man.

Speaker 1 (06:58):
We have an incredible history of managers here at the
University of Kentucky. I've talked at length about Frank Vogel,
who was a manager when I was here and went
on to, you know, be the head coach of a
NBA World champion Los Angeles Lakers and a great tenure
at other stops.

Speaker 3 (07:17):
In the league.

Speaker 1 (07:18):
But he's just one of a massive slew of managers
that have gone on to do incredible things because you
have to be built right to be a manager at
Kentucky for sure.

Speaker 3 (07:27):
Coach Patino put in the JV team that was in
the I think the ninety six season, right, Yeah, and
Obi and I did those games on radio. Frank was
one of the starting guards.

Speaker 1 (07:38):
As he was, and Frank was doing damage. It helped
that he had Nasey and Scott Paget running around out
there with him, but kicking out the three really really
fun teams. And his story is legend. I've told his
story a million times, but he's one of those great examples.

Speaker 3 (07:55):
Before we start talking about your team, let me take
you back to last Wednesday, and I what a fun
post game that was to have. I don't think I've
ever seen the opposing coach come out and be on
the home team's radio show, but this is a unique
situation for John Pelfrey and there with his fellow unforgettables

(08:16):
and uh, it was just a lot of fun to
interact with those guys. And uh, you know, again, there's
always that just special bond that people who have warned
the jersey that you guys all have.

Speaker 1 (08:28):
I think that only happens in Kentucky, you know, it
just it just is it's.

Speaker 3 (08:33):
It's it's just it's unique.

Speaker 1 (08:37):
It's this bond between players and it and just as importantly, uh,
this bond between players and and and BBN, and it
really is this And it was really incredible to hear
those guys talk about it. I can't even listen. I
played for coach p It was really hard. I can't
even begin to comprehend what those guys endured, like it's

(08:59):
almost terrifying to think of and what they accomplished, what
they adored and what they accomplished. So often in life,
the depth of what you have to endure is directly
in correlation to the heights of which you can accomplish things.
And those guys set a great standard and renewed the

(09:21):
program and captured the hearts of an entire generation of BBN,
and so to have I couldn't believe it was the
first time they've been all in the gym together in
thirty years. It just is remarkable to me. And and
so to have them there was really special. And the
way that BBN embraced them and it was incredible. And

(09:43):
to have John back in that gym coaching and those
guys they're supporting him and then to get to hear
the stories of their experiences as players. Here was it
couldn't have been better.

Speaker 3 (09:52):
I tend to think that the force of Rick's personality
and the quality of his coaching would have got in
the program back, but they helped him accelerate it by
what they contributed. It set the table for you guys.
That came a couple of years later.

Speaker 1 (10:09):
The beautiful thing about a team is nobody can do
it by themselves. Coach could have done it without them.
They could have done it without coach. They could have
done it without each other, as they so well said.
You know, they're the four unforgettables. But they could not
have done it without Jabal and Mashburn. Jabal was a
really important part of that group. And uh, and so
it's it's why teams are great. They couldn't have done

(10:29):
it without BBN and and uh, you know the story goes,
all right, we're going to get to our first break.

Speaker 3 (10:35):
Well, let you know that you can send in questions
on the Clark's Pumping Shop text line at eight five
nine two three one two three four. You can also
post questions for Coach Pope on x at UK Sports Network.
We'll come back, continue our chat and get into the
matchup with the Tar Hills tomorrow night and what's going
on with the Cats and we'll get to all of
that when we return here on the UK Sports Network.

Speaker 13 (10:56):
Stay connected to the Cats with that Big Blue Group,
the official newsletter of you Cadletic. It's free, it's daily,
and it's all things can suck. Sign up now at
UK Athletics dot com backslash Big Blue Brew. That's Fucathletics
dot com backslash Big Blue Brew.

Speaker 14 (11:11):
Flight by Yongling It's the next generation of light beer
for those who don't follow trends but craft them. Flight
by Yingling is twelve ounces of uncompromised refreshment from America's
oldest brewery with only two point six grams of carbs
and ninety five calories. This is premium refreshment, six generations
in the making. Don't just raise the glass, raise the bar.

(11:34):
Flight by Yingling available wherever beer is sold DJ Yngling
and Sunincorporated Potsol, Pennsylvania.

Speaker 7 (11:40):
Please enjoy responsibly.

Speaker 15 (11:41):
Thinking about digging, planning a tree, putting up a fence,
hold that shovel before you break ground. Head to Kentucky
eight one one dot org or call eight one one.
It's quick, it's free, and yep, it's the law. Submit
your request online or call before you dig Member Utility pros.
We'll mark where the underground lines are. Don't risk the injury,
service outages, pedal please or costly repairs. Safety is in

(12:02):
your hands.

Speaker 1 (12:03):
Eight one one before you.

Speaker 16 (12:04):
Dig, Sponsored by the Kentucky Public Service Commission.

Speaker 17 (12:07):
Hey, Wildcat fans, Little Caesars, the home of Hot and
Ready Pizza, invites you to try our world famous Crazy
Bread with Crazy Sauce, Caesar wins Italian cheese bread, and
our new cookie Old Browning dessert. And Little Caesars we
begin each day with dough made fresh from scratch, fresh
never frozen cheese and the tasty is topping. Little Caesars

(12:29):
is also a proud partner of UK Athletics and an
enthusiastic member of Big Blue Nation.

Speaker 6 (12:35):
So go Cat Pizza Pizza.

Speaker 18 (12:37):
Oh right, all right, it's a beautiful day for football
here at the stadium and we're just about ready for
kickoff score zero zero and suddenly I'm in the mood
for a coke zero sugar, real coke taste zero sugar.

Speaker 19 (12:51):
No, that's a winning combo Yeah, Chris, refreshing that hits
the spot. When it comes to great taste, Coke zero
sugar is always on the scoreboard. Coke zero sugar Real
Coke Taste zero sugar.

Speaker 2 (13:07):
You need open heart surgery words no one wants to hear,
but when it becomes your reality, you deserve care built
on trust. At HAZARDRH, open heart surgery is performed by
doctor James Shoptak, a cardiothoracic and vascular surgeon with over
twenty nine years of experience. With skilled hands, strong face
and proven results. Doctor Shoptah and his team are with

(13:28):
you every step of the way. Trust your heart to
AARH and Doctor Shoptak a proud member of the AIH
Care Network.

Speaker 3 (13:34):
AARH More for Appalachia Unlocked exclusive coverage of UK Athletics
with UKSN all Access.

Speaker 20 (13:43):
From behind the scenes content to game day coverage. It's
all in one place. Find it on the UK Athletics
app or uksnallaccess dot com.

Speaker 3 (14:04):
Welcome back into our show. It's presented by UK Healthcare
and we'll get to some of your questions here in
a bit. You can go ahead and send him in
on the Clark's pump and Shop text line eight five
nine two three one two three four or post on
X for coach Pope at UK Sports Network. A couple
of things before we start talking a little basketball. One
is you wanted to acknowledge the decision to make change

(14:25):
with the coaching staff on the football side, but you've
gotten to know coach Stoops in the time that you've
been here pretty well. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (14:31):
I love Mark. I talked to him today and uh,
exchange text with him after Louisville game, and we were
together last week and and the way he is, what
he's done for the University Kentucky's incredible, you know, by
a whole host of measurements. He's the greatest, most successful
coach to ever coach here. And he gave his heart

(14:52):
and soul to this place and it was just just
grateful for his friendship and mentorship. And and I know
that the season hasn't gone the way that he wanted
to and and uh, you know, maybe that's been a
little tough spell, but he is man. He loves this place.
He love you know, he talked to me today about
how much he loves Lexidon and how you know he

(15:12):
hopes to you know, spend the rest of his life
here and and he just is I'm just grateful for him.
You know, he's on a personal level, he's been a
great friend, and he's, like I said, he's been incredible
coach here and and you know, I think he you know,
he saw that this was just the right time for
the change. But just a ton of a ton of
gratitude for him.

Speaker 3 (15:31):
And you know you're talking about how much he's come
to love it here. So you hear those stories so
many times from players and coaches like yourself. But I
know you you've told the story Lynn Nance you were
with at of Washington and he was telling you about
this place and you thought there's no way that could
be really true, and you found out it was yep.

Speaker 1 (15:48):
And and we just all have these windows where we
get to do this in life. We have windows where
we get to do things, and they're limited, they're always limited.
And so the one thing I know about Mark is
is he could not have given one more out of blood,
sweat and tears. There's whole heart and life to this
pursuit of make Kentucky football what it was.

Speaker 3 (16:07):
And so we're so grateful for Well, let's start talking
a little bit about Kentucky North Carolina game tomorrow night
at Rupp in the sec ACC Challenge presented by Central Bank,
the official bank of UK Athletics. And let me start
with what everybody's chomping at the bit to hear any
update on Mohammed a bat or Jalen Low.

Speaker 1 (16:25):
There is an update, but I'm not going to tell
you because we're keeping a top secret until the game.
We're not even allowed to do that. I think we
have to make announcements here tomorrow, right something dead? When
do we have to There's least not a conference game,
so I don't think you do. So those guys are
coming along. They're doing the best they can. I'm not
sure that they're going to be available tomorrow, but they're

(16:46):
making progress. We can't wait till they get back for sure.

Speaker 3 (16:49):
You're facing a team that is led by one of
the top newcomers to college basketball. You're familiar with Kedeb
Wilson averaging I think right at twenty and ten through
seven game for the tar Heels.

Speaker 1 (17:00):
Yeah, Caleb has been incredible. He's playing like an alpha
alpha Alpha. He is so determined to get downhill and
get to the rim. His fouls drawn numbers are incredible.
Uh he's he's playing like a veteran, veteran player. Uh he's,
he's he's really special, man. He's really a load in transition.
He's unbelievable at the rim. He give Barkley into the post,

(17:23):
he'll get some post catches. He's great in isolation, He's
unbelievable in transition. So he's been great. That their front
line is actually averaging thirty six points a game. They're
starting four and five, which is a lot. We actually
haven't seen those numbers from a starting four and five yet.
So the really explosive this Vsards transfer of Arizona seven
feet really really shoots the three incredibly skills as one

(17:46):
of those guys that can actually put it down on
a on a on a direct line drive and actually
make passes off the bounce. So those two guys are
big time catalysts. And their backcourt is a veteran group.
It's a great team. I mean, come on, how how
unbeloile you talk about Thanksgiving? Things we're grateful for. We
have Kentucky, North Carolina and rupp Arena. Tomorrow night is

(18:08):
if life couldn't get any better, We're we're out of
our mind.

Speaker 3 (18:11):
Excited.

Speaker 1 (18:12):
The guys's been working really hard in practice. We can't
wait to get to it. We started today's practice in
the film room kind of doing our final touches on
the scout and it was fun to sit down and
remind the guys of who the winningest program in the
history of college basketball. Of course, that would be our
beloved Kentucky Wildcats with two four hundred and twenty seven

(18:34):
wins as of today. And it's it's nice to and
there's something special about these games with Kansas.

Speaker 3 (18:43):
And North Carolina. Duke North Carolina is at.

Speaker 1 (18:45):
Twenty four hundred and one, they're twenty six games behind us,
and these games matter. And what's fun when you think
about this is we started playing in nineteen oh two,
is that correct? Kentucky Tucky nineteen oh two. And so
you think about where we stand at the very very
top of the college basketball world, and you think about

(19:06):
how many players have put on this jersey over the
last one hundred and twenty four years if I if
I'm doing the math right, and and how many fans
have walked through Alumni and Memorial and and rut and
where were we before Alumni somewhere. We must have been
somewhere before Alumni.

Speaker 3 (19:26):
I think Alumni is the only one I know of.

Speaker 1 (19:28):
And and I just think about all the all of
the effort and dreams and hopes and work that have
gone into these twenty four and twenty seven wins, and
it gives our guys real perspective about what this means.
And so it's gonna be an epic battle. It's not
gonna be till nine thirty. We're gonna We're gonna nine
thirty five, is that right? Nine thirty five sliding?

Speaker 3 (19:48):
And there's a game before it's later than that.

Speaker 1 (19:51):
And so it's perfect and we can't wait, and and
and I think it's gonna be an epic game.

Speaker 3 (19:56):
You get a kick out of this. I've been so.
I've been told when they move from a to Memorial
Coliseum at twelve thousand change people at the university, no way,
villain never feel it. Yep, go to Rapperina twice the
number of people, No way, they'll ever feel that. And
it keeps happening. I don't they could fill up the

(20:16):
football stadium. Probably it's a game like this one tomorrow night.
Maybe Uh, we're gonna get to a break, we'll come
back continue a discussion. We'll get some of your questions
when we come right back. It is the Mark Pope Show,
presented by UK Healthcare on the UK Sports Network. The
Big Blue Dream is alive and well, and you can
count on the Cats to deliver the best performance possible.
You can also count on Welsh Printing Company, an avid

(20:37):
supporter of UK Athletics, to deliver on all of your
printing and communication needs. Like a well oiled team, Welch
has the personnel and commitment to consistently deliver your projects
on time and on budget. Welsh Printing produces award winning
litho and digital printing for your marketing and communication needs.
Visit our website Welshprinting dot com or call us to
learn more about how we can deliver more for you.

Speaker 21 (20:59):
You've seen it on our ads for all y'all, but
what does it mean? It means we're for everyone in
Central Kentucky, teachers, nurses, police officers, students, small business owners,
even that one friend who swore they'd never switched banks
because at UK Credit Union we believe good banking should
belong to just a few. It should be easy, local
and made for everyone. It's UK Federal Credit Union. We're

(21:22):
not just for some, We're for all. Y'all membership eligabilily required,
federally insured by NCUA.

Speaker 11 (21:29):
Toyota thon is on. Get in the spirit of the
season with a new Toyota now through December. First, get
three thousand dollars customer cash on remaining new twenty five
to nd US. Or get zero point nine to nine
APR financing plus one thousand dollars TFS APR cash with
approved credit through TFS excludes TRD PRO. APR cash must

(21:49):
be applied to deal and every new Toyota comes with
two years no cost maintenance. For complete details, go to
Toyota dot com Toyota let's go places.

Speaker 6 (21:58):
Hey, there's a penny by your.

Speaker 1 (21:59):
Foot a penny, find a penny, pick it up.

Speaker 3 (22:01):
Then o' dale'll have good luck.

Speaker 22 (22:02):
Come on, let's aim higher for the nickel.

Speaker 1 (22:05):
But how often do you find free nickels every day
at Thornton's.

Speaker 19 (22:07):
Save five cents off for gallon of fuel every day
with Thornton's refreshing rewards.

Speaker 10 (22:11):
Then we need a new adage.

Speaker 1 (22:12):
Come to Thornton's.

Speaker 22 (22:13):
Pump your gas, save some nickels with every pass dell
ad up to save a buck.

Speaker 16 (22:17):
How does that sound for a little luck that is
way better than pennies.

Speaker 12 (22:20):
Get five cents off for gallon of fuel every day
at your local Thornton's Valid on fuel purchases up to
thirty five gallons. Requires download if the Refreshing Rewards app
and successful registration.

Speaker 3 (22:40):
Kentucky in North Carolina Tomorrow night game tips at nine
to thirty Eastern time. Make sure you get there a
little bit early. Get in your seat for a special
edition of the National Anthem prior to tip off time.
For our Alumni Hall Fan Question of the Week, you
can respond at Alumni Hall UK on X and if
you respond it gets chosen you could gift card from

(23:02):
Alumni Hall and we'll make this the question who is
going to be the key player for Kentucky to get
the win over the tar Heels tomorrow night? So you
can send that into at Alumni Hall UK on X
and have a chance to win an Alumni Hall gift card.
Let's go to a question. You can send those in
on the text line the Clark's Pumping Shop text line

(23:25):
eight five nine two three one two three four or
post on X at UK Sports Network. Question is coach.
Can you talk about the possibility of a general manage
your position being filled and what that would mean to
the players.

Speaker 1 (23:39):
Yeah, so it's it's interesting as we figure out kind
of the new space that we're living in. Uh, there
are some real potential positives with the general matters spot,
but there's also some some complications that come with it
that I actually don't like for our guys. So we're
in the process. We've seen in some places, we've seen

(24:00):
some positive results as we watch other programs, and in
some places it's it's it's turned into a really negative,
negative situation, so or at least a fruitless situation. So that's, Ah,
that's a space we're exploring right now and we'll kind
of see where we end up.

Speaker 3 (24:16):
That's the thing with so much of this is new.
It's just been a very few years that working through it,
and it's changing as you go along. So there's gonna
be things that seem like a good idea that may
not be.

Speaker 1 (24:27):
Yeah, and it's it's it's just you know, we're all learning,
and so it's just a process.

Speaker 3 (24:32):
Question from Rick in Raceland, where they have a football
team that's in the high school state finals at Kroger
Field this weekend. Uh, coach, are you still on jury duty?
I get it on the call.

Speaker 1 (24:43):
I I am. I I narrowly maybe potentially avoided jury duty.
I was. I was thrilled with that. Although I I
I am, I do believe in our our responsibility to
to participate in the process. It was not ideal timing
for me, which I think it's probably never ideal timing
for anybody. But fortunately I'm I was not. I was

(25:06):
not called to duty.

Speaker 3 (25:08):
Another question, this is from Joey. He says, a lot
of fans are liking the small ball lineups. Have you
noticed that in I guess analytics and will you be
doing more of that?

Speaker 1 (25:20):
Yeah, it's interesting. You gotta win matchups that way, and so, uh,
it's it's just a it's just a game to see
if we can win a matchup, and so we'll we'll
be able to go back and forth. It's gonna be
really interesting as j Q gets back to full speed.
It'll give us a chance to actually play some really
big puts, some big lineups out there also, and it's

(25:42):
gonna be a little bit of back and forth and
trying to figure out what works best where it'd be
really interesting. We're we're we're really interested in these matchups
tomorrow night. It's a really big team. Yeah, it's a
really really big team. They're enormous. They're starting, you know,
really six nine six nine seven feet at the three,
four and five and they're starting too, you know, listed
at six to six. So they're a huge team, played

(26:05):
with enormous pace and so'll it'll be fun to play
with all these different matchups.

Speaker 3 (26:10):
If you have a question for Coach Pope, send it
in on the Clark's Pumping Shop text line that's eight
five nine two three one two three four, or you
can also post questions on x it is at UK
Sports Network. This is a matchup that has played out.
I was counting this up today. This will be the
forty fourth meeting. They've played in fourteen different cities, is

(26:32):
that right. So they haven't played here in a decade,
but it played frequently in the CBS Sports Classic at
various sites met in the NCAA tournaments. There was a
game one year I think it was maybe a day
after the day after Christmas, when Coach Hall was here
and Michael Jordan was still with the tar Heels, and
it was like one versus two and it was at
the Metal Lands on NBC.

Speaker 1 (26:52):
So there have been some classics in this series. It's
a it's a you know, I love I love these games.
I'm grateful for him.

Speaker 5 (27:00):
You know.

Speaker 1 (27:01):
It's been Uh, it's it's been fun to to watch
these great programs growing and just the rivalries are wonderful.

Speaker 3 (27:10):
You I mean, it's a challenging schedule you put together,
but you do there's a part of you that seems
like it's a fan in terms of enjoying this.

Speaker 1 (27:17):
Yeah, I mean, it's it's it's Kentucky. It's what it's
what we do.

Speaker 23 (27:21):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (27:21):
You know, we'll chase great games wherever and however whenever
we can. This is a gift to us from from
the SEC a SEC Challenge. So this this one was
kind of just gifted to us, but we can't wait
to get to it.

Speaker 3 (27:35):
Question from Aaron here in Lexington. Uh, Andrea Yellovich at
the five to create space, any chance you'd do uh
something like that.

Speaker 1 (27:43):
Yeah, Uh, Adrea could could give us some some life
at the five for sure.

Speaker 10 (27:50):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (27:50):
He's been really you know. One of the fun things
about him his feet are better than you think they
are and his physicality, like his championship chest is actually
way better than you might guess. He's not the most
physical player, but he could take his shoulder to his
chest and kind of hold his ground. He's he's, he's,
So he's got a chance. He's going to be really

(28:11):
important for us tomorrow night. We needed to play really well,
and I think he will. He's been really competing in practice,
shooting the ball better and better, making them simpler and
simpler decisions, and and understanding our defensive concepts better. But
he's he brings a physic out of the game that
would allow him to play some five for us, And
certainly his ability to shoot the ball and make make
decisions with the ball in his hands is is a positive.

(28:32):
That ability of having that the footwork you talked about helps.
There's so much pick and roll and being able to
maybe switch off on a guard, even for just a few.

Speaker 3 (28:40):
Seconds, is a big helpp and he Goose, and I've
seen practices Goose Moore than me, but he's always talked
about how well Andrea shoots it. Same with Cam Williams.
And we haven't seen those breakout games yet from those two,
but you know it's coming.

Speaker 1 (28:57):
Yeah, and it's it's interesting because you know, Cam is
such a stat stuffer in every other way, he's making
such a positive contribution, even though he hasn't shot the
ball the way he will shoot it. He's one of
those guys that's he's gonna just start. He's just gonna
start making shots and he'll never stop. It's just a
matter of for him, it's not confidence, it's comfort. And

(29:20):
so just just kind of get into a space where
he feels more comfortable. He's going to get there. It's
just a matter of time. And and Andrea also, I mean,
these guys are guys that're rolling the gym and and
there'll be a seventy five percent from three on fifteen
hundred shots on the Noah system, and that always translates
the game. It's just a matter of when, but it

(29:42):
always translates. And so we're excited for him to keep
growing that that part of the game.

Speaker 3 (29:46):
We had a question actually used the word comfortable with Cam,
and the question was about what can you do to
get him more comfortable to get that stroke going. So
since you talked about that, there was another question last
week actually didn't get too referencing Cam because he has
such a good streak of positive numbers in the plus
minus column of the box score, and uh, how much
does that weigh into your decision in terms of rotational decisions?

Speaker 1 (30:12):
Yeah, he's uh, he he has. He's been really positive
in the plus minus. He's one of our top DPA guys.
He's always one of our top dim guys.

Speaker 3 (30:21):
You know.

Speaker 1 (30:22):
He really really protects the ball, you know, So he
he shows up in so many statistical categories. He's he's
been elite. Uh, his his two point field goal percentage
has been elite. He's always present on the glass. He's
got length that is impactful that we see in all
those metrics. So he's you know, he contributes the game

(30:42):
in a lot of ways. He's a really high IQ player.
He brings a lot to the table. He's also got
some gravity and so that helps the rest of the
guys on the team.

Speaker 3 (30:52):
Going to get to a break. We are halfway home
on this edition of The Mark Polk Show, presented by
UK Healthcare. This is the UK Sports Network.

Speaker 24 (31:03):
Yingling Traditional Lager, a beard that, like true legends, stands
the test of time. Brewed by the same family for
nearly two hundred years, it's a crisp amber lagger with
a bold, smooth flavor that's perfect for game day, whether
you're cheering from the stands or watching from your favorite bar.
Yingling is the taste of tradition. Yengling legends stand the

(31:24):
test of time.

Speaker 13 (31:27):
Stay connected to the Cats with that Big Blue Brew,
the official newsletter of you Cathletics.

Speaker 1 (31:32):
It's free, it's daily, and it's all things can suck.

Speaker 13 (31:35):
Sign up now at uk athletics dot com backslash Big
Blue Brew.

Speaker 1 (31:39):
That's Kathletics dot com. Backslash Big Blue Brew.

Speaker 15 (31:42):
Thinking about digging, planting a tree, putting up a fence,
hold that shovel before you break ground, head to Kentucky
eight one one dot org or call eight one one.
It's quick, it's free, and yep, it's the law. Submit
your request online or call before you dig. Member utility
pros well mark where the underground lines are. Don't risk
the injury, service outages, penalties, or costly repairs. Safety is

(32:03):
in your hands.

Speaker 1 (32:05):
Eight one one Before You.

Speaker 16 (32:06):
Dig, Sponsored by the Kentucky Public Service Commission.

Speaker 25 (32:09):
Dear you, you've hung the lights, checked off every to
do list. Now treat yourself to a fun break with
holiday scratch offs from the Kentucky Lottery. Play festively fantastic
games like Twinkle Cash, Merry Multiplier and Snow much fun.
No wrapping, no thank you notes, take the break you
actually wanted.

Speaker 3 (32:29):
Grab your tickets today your local k YE Lottery retailer
and put a little play in your day this holiday season.
Please play responsibly. Remember it's just a game. Those Placeline
tips or not.

Speaker 26 (32:40):
Lee UK Athletics would like to bank our official cornerstone partners,
Central Bank, the official Bank of UK Athletics, Kentucky Farm
Bureau Insurance, Big On Commitment and UK Healthcare, official healthcare
partner of Big Blue Nations Kentucky.

Speaker 1 (32:55):
Hold.

Speaker 4 (32:56):
Okay, take the Lording track, walk Alo, Kentucky go some
seventy two.

Speaker 26 (33:02):
Once again, thank you to our official cornerstone partners who
play a vital role in the success of the University
of Kentucky Athletics program.

Speaker 18 (33:10):
Oh right, all right, it's a beautiful day for football
here at the stadium and we're just about ready for
kickoff score zero zero and suddenly I'm in the mood
for a coke zero sugar, real coke taste zero sugar.

Speaker 19 (33:24):
No, that's a winning combo. Yeah, Chris refreshing that hits
the spot. When it comes to great taste, Coke zero
Sugar is always on the scoreboard. Coke zero Sugar Real
Coke Taste zero Sugar Unlocked.

Speaker 13 (33:40):
Exclusive coverage of UK Athletics with UKSN all Access.

Speaker 20 (33:45):
From behind the scenes content to game day coverage. It's
all in one place. Find it on the UK Athletics
app or uksnallaccess dot com.

Speaker 3 (34:07):
Get an into the second half of our show for
this Monday and We're here almost always on Monday nights,
occasionally on Wednesdays when the team has a Tuesday road
game and is traveling. On Mondays, there will be an
out of town game coming up on Friday, and hopefully
you'll be joining the Cats down in Nashville for that
big match up with Gonzaga on Friday night at Bridgestone Arena.

(34:28):
Subscribe to the hun Kentucky Basketball Podcast, presented by UK
Federal Credit Union. It's available for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio,
and the official UK Athletics app. Try to sometimes you'll
use a phrase and I'll like, Okay, I need to
ask him about that, to explain it to fans because
they may not all be clear on it. You talked
about one of the Carolina players would Barkley in the post.

(34:49):
So what's that.

Speaker 1 (34:51):
Yeah, so it's you know, one of the really effective
things in the game now is just when you kind
of catch a ball in transition or you get a
ball in rotation and you maybe begin in you know,
a penetration and you don't get anywhere. It's a good
someone catches the move, there's a gap, help, whatever, and
so then you just kind of turn it from a
perimeter play off the bounce into into a post possession

(35:15):
with a live mount. The greatest ever was my former
teammate Mark Jackson of Saint John's and then the New
York Knicks, and then he was my point guard with
the Indiana Pacers. He was a savant. Mark would tell
you that he was the slowest player to ever play
in the NBA. He was a point guard, a six

(35:35):
y five point guard, but I think at one point
was the third time all time leading assist guy in
the NBA and went on to be the head coach
of the Golden State Warriors and had an unbelievable playing career.
But he was magical. He would start backing you down
at like seventy feet and finally end up in the
post and and just work his magic from down there.
But now you have players of all different sizes making

(35:57):
plays like that, and it's it's a play that Caleb
Wilson is very adept.

Speaker 3 (36:02):
I got. I'm My first favorite team was in the
NFL was the Bears. My second favorite team was the
New York Knicks. Walt Frasier would back down guys, back
them down, back them down, and then turn and shoot
over yep, yep. If you have a question, you can
send it in on the Clark's Pumping Shop phone line.
It's eight five nine two oh three one two three four,
or you could send in questions on ex It's at

(36:23):
UK Sports Network. Here's one from bram And Lexington says
you speak a lot about love and sacrifice, and he
says those are concepts that can maybe sometimes be best
to be learned behavior. So he wonders what you do
to intentionally promote togetherness and enhance the player's ability to

(36:44):
grasp those, as he calls them, sometimes layered concepts.

Speaker 1 (36:48):
Layered concepts. Yes, yeah, it's a it's a process, and
it's a it's a foundational principle for us that wins.
It is a winning principle. And so you know, I've
i talk about this at length constantly, but this idea
of sacrifice is is this beautiful principle of taking something

(37:15):
and making it sacred. Things aren't just sacred, we make
them sacred. So sacrifice in some rough translation comes from
the root word sachar and fasser and Latin. I'm probably
mutilating that a little bit, but it's just to make sacred.
And so the things that we put our heart and
soul into and that we put other things to the

(37:38):
side for and we make room for and used as
a priority, we're in essence making those sacred things in
our life. And I think the most rich lives where
they're broad and far reaching and connecting with people, our
lives where we take all different things in our life,

(37:58):
where we have so we've made aid so many things
in our life sacred because we've sacrificed for them. I
think that's a rich life. And so that is certainly
a layered concept. But you know, I've said this over
and over again, but we want, you know, we want
our guys to come here and win a national championship

(38:18):
and go play in the NBA, and we want that
to be like the fifth or sixth, or seventh, or
eighth or ninth most incredible thing they do in their lives.
And we wanted to learn this, this concept of the
things that they're willing to be incredibly disciplined about and
sacrifice for the things that they're making sacred and that's
a rich life. So we talk about that all the time.

(38:40):
Our guys are trying to do it every day in
the gym, in film sessions, in the weight room, in
conditioning sessions, in counseling sessions, with the time they spend,
in the commitment they bring, and how hard they work
on focusing their emotions. And that's one of the great
processes of athletics is is you work harder than you
ever imagined you could work.

Speaker 5 (39:02):
You you you.

Speaker 1 (39:04):
You get more focused than you ever knew you could
get focused, and and uh and you share more than
ever you ever thought you could share, and and and
hopefully I end's up with great results.

Speaker 3 (39:14):
Thank you, Bram. Interesting question. Another question, did you get
to play against North Carolina as a player?

Speaker 9 (39:21):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (39:21):
I did.

Speaker 1 (39:23):
I played against North Carolina one time in Birmingham in
an Elite Eight game to go to the Final four,
and it was it was It was one of the
it's always for me, it's always the same. It was
one of the worst greatest moments of my entire life.

Speaker 6 (39:43):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (39:44):
It was with a terrific team with Rashid Wallace and
and that whole crew. Uh and and we were a
number one seed I think in seby term I think
there were number two. And it was go to the
final four in Seattle, which was my hometown at the time.
So I was gonna go. We're gonna go to the
final four back home. And we were rolling through the
tournament and North Carolina just came in, played a zone

(40:04):
and it just crushed us. We end up losing that game.
I've talked about this so much, but you know, one
of the great coach Patino stories. We end up losing
that game. It was devastating, I mean just devastating. North Carolina.
A great game plan, played really well. We couldn't figure
it out. We played really poorly. Credit them, and then

(40:27):
our season was over so abruptly. It just wasn't the
way it was supposed to happen. And so we finished
the game and went back in the locker room and
Coach P had a couple choice a couple thousand choice
words for us, and then he popped in the game
film and we watched the game in the locker room

(40:47):
in our uniform from start to finish. And it probably
took four hours to watch it. That's probably an exaggeration.
It probably took two hours. I just remember we kept rewinding,
watched the same thing over and over. It was brutal.

Speaker 3 (40:58):
It was just so awful and and.

Speaker 1 (41:04):
And then you know, we finally get to the end
of the game and there's been a bunch of tears
and yelling and screaming, and we're still it's freezing in there.
We're still in our uniforms, just miserable, miserable, and you
think it's over. And I'm pretty sure this is true.
I need to verify with with the rest of the guys.
I'm pretty sure Coach put the tape back in and
we watched it a second time. I'm pretty sure, at

(41:27):
least that's my recollection. I'm older now, so if we
didn't put it back in, that's what it felt like.
And then we sequels usually worse than the Yeah, it
was brutal, and then we we wended up staying in
Birmingham that night and the next morning coach had individual
meetings with us, which was which was way worse if
you can imagine. And so it was the one of

(41:48):
the worst moments of my life athletically, but it laid
the groundwork for US coming the next season and sweeping
the SEC and a great year for the SEC and
averaging winning every game by twenty four points a game
and in what was by all accounts, the most dominant

(42:08):
run in SEC history. And and it was it all
started at that moment. It didn't start the next season,
It didn't start that summer, It didn't start when we
got back to midnight Madness. It started the second that
that buzzer sounded. Coach started building what was going to
be a national championship caliber season the next year. And

(42:30):
that's so often in life, right, I mean, it's the
very worst moments. If you do it right, they become
the very best moments. And that's what that's what my
one experience playing against North Carolina was. I hope that
this game tomorrow is as meaningful. I wouldn't mind if
it was a little less painful.

Speaker 3 (42:45):
I get that. And that was such an incredible run
for Brick and his teams carried over into Tubby Final
four to ninety three, elit eight ninety eight, Final fours,
ninety six, nine seven ninety eight, another lead eight to
ninety nine.

Speaker 1 (42:57):
Yeah, that's pretty fun.

Speaker 3 (42:58):
We're gonna get to a break. It's the Mark Pope Show,
presented by UK Healthcare. This is the UK Sports Network.

Speaker 1 (43:05):
Skyline's New Chicken Chili is here.

Speaker 5 (43:08):
Now you can enjoy that legendary Skyline taste with a
new protein option.

Speaker 1 (43:12):
Come try Skylines New.

Speaker 5 (43:13):
Chicken Chili on ways Cony's and all your Skyline favorites,
including chicken chili chiledos. When you taste it, you're gonna
love it, So come try Skylines New Chicken Chili today.
It's a tasty new way to enjoy your Skyline time,
now available at participating Skyline restaurants.

Speaker 21 (43:34):
You know you've seen it on our ads for all y'all,
but what does it mean? It means we're for everyone
in Central Kentucky. Teachers, nurses, police officers, students, small business owners,
even that one friend who swore they've never switched banks.
Because at UK Credit Union, we believe good banking should
belong to just a few. It should be easy, local
and made for everyone. It's UK Federal Credit Union. We're

(43:57):
not just for some, We're for all y'all. Membership Belgiamilli
required federally insured by NCUA.

Speaker 11 (44:04):
Toyota Thana is on. Get in the spirit of the
season with a new Toyota now through December First, get
four point seventy five APR financing on remaining new twenty
five Corollas and Corolla hybrids excludes gr and Corolla Cross
or lease a gas powered twenty six Corolla l E
for one ninety nine a month for thirty nine months
with thirty six ninety nine do its signing with the

(44:24):
proof credit through TFS Tax, Title and License Extra Call
one eight eight eight thirty six Toyota Fruit details or
go to Toyota dot com Toyota Let's Go Places.

Speaker 10 (44:33):
The new DQ Crispy Onion Cheeseburger seven dollars meal deal
has everything you could want and more. First, there's the
juicy cheeseburger that comes with meltie cheese and crunchy crispy onions.
Oh and a full size order of fries and a
drink and a Sunday And did we mention that it's
all just seven bucks. At participating DQ locations, enjoy every

(44:55):
and with the new Crispy Onion cheeseburger seven dollars meal
deal here for a limited time right now at DQ
Happy Taste Good.

Speaker 3 (45:15):
Tis the season to give and receive. For every one
hundred dollars in Malone's gift cards that you purchase, you
can redeem them for or you can get a twenty
dollars bonus that is redeemable redeemable at Malone's, Drake's, Harry's
and OBC Kitchen, all available in store or online. A

(45:36):
couple of segments left here for your questions on the
Clark's Pumping Shop text line at eighty five nine two
three one two three four or on X at UK
Sports Network. Next question comes from Tim. He says, how
can you get Otega uh playing his best from the
opening tip tomorrow night? He said, tell coach that the
BBN's behind him and Otega one hundred Yeah, thank you.

Speaker 1 (45:58):
So I had my best moment of practice today was
after practice, and so we had some of our younger guys,
some of our rehab guys playing three on three after
practice on one side of the court and some guys
shooting on the other side. And then what brought me
more joy than anything that happened in our scout, anything

(46:23):
that happened in practice, anything that happened all day long,
except for seeing LeAnn.

Speaker 3 (46:27):
This morning, that always brings me incredible joy.

Speaker 1 (46:29):
But was Otega and Jasper Johnson on their own on
the floor, just going from baseline to half court, one
on one, just doing their own version of a ball
handling and a defensive containment drill post practice, and I

(46:53):
just it is exactly where our minds need to be.
I think, I don't know if Jasper dragged Otega out
there with the challenger, Otega dragged Jasper out, but they
went back and forth and back and forth and back
and forth on the court. And you know, if if, if,
if Otega's mind is there, he is he is the

(47:13):
best player in this conference, and all of it's built there,
and he's he's shouldering a huge amount of responsibility and
pressure right now, and him trusting that all of his
game comes from when he's got an incredible impact on
the defensive end is key. And and he certainly felt
like that after practice today, And and Jasper is so

(47:35):
eager to grow and so seeing those two guys do
that uh as their own little post practice work was
incredibly fun today. And and that's where how we get
where we're going. And sometimes it's a crooked path. It's
why seasons are great is sometimes it's a crooked path
and sometimes it's a little bit painful. But we have
guys that are that are trying so hard to get

(47:56):
their minds around focusing on the right things and and
we'll have success.

Speaker 3 (47:59):
When we do next questions about the ball movement and
spacing on the court and can you get more of it?

Speaker 1 (48:07):
Yes, yes, we would like more of it. Uh, It's man,
it's been it's been a painful learning process for our crew.
I won't go into into heavy, heavy details with the numbers,
but when we get challenged, our response and this is
this is not unique to us, this is everybody. But
when the game gets challenging, we we still are not

(48:30):
at a place where our fix is is what it
always is going to be for my teams, It's always
going to be leaning into being super forceful, aggresses, aggressive
and decisive to earn opportunities for your teammates. It's always
that way. That's the beauty of the game of basketball.
But you you have to learn that. And that's been

(48:52):
a little bit of a complicated thing for us early
in the season. You know, we we try and fix
things by ourselves, and we try and save save the
team by ourselves. And as long as we're as long
as that's our default, this is gonna be challenging. It's
never we're never gonna be perfect at it. But for us,
that's really important. Second lifts are really important to us.
You know, our spacing is really important to us. We've

(49:14):
been really undisciplined with our spacing, especially when we get
to a second or third side or get to our
stacked second or third action is kind of renewing our spacings,
working hard enough to get the spacing, and and and
us being decisive. You know, we've loaded a lot of
things down our guys, and so they're digesting a lot,
and and so the sooner we can get comfortable and

(49:35):
start playing the game rather than thinking the game, it's
gonna it's gonna help us. But for us on the
offensive end, our answer is exactly that it is. It
is It is more decisive, forceful ball movement out of
our actions and and m P four T over and
over and over again. And that's where we're gonna find success.

(49:56):
It's gonna be a key for us tonight and and
our success on the offensive end is gonna to be
very very much determined by how willing we are and
to lean into that space in this game.

Speaker 23 (50:06):
And I think we're making progress. We'll see tomorrow. Kelly
good questions. You can tell it's something he wanted to
talk about. We'll be right back with our final segment
of The Mark Pope Show, presented by UK Healthcare on
the UK Sports Network.

Speaker 18 (50:18):
Oh right, all right, it's a beautiful day for football
here at the stadium and we're just about ready for kickoff,
score zero zero and suddenly I'm in the mood for
a Coke zero sugar Real Coke Taste zero sugar. No,
that's a winning combo, Yeah, Chris, refreshing that hits the

(50:39):
spy when it comes to great taste, Coke zero sugar
is always on the scoreboard.

Speaker 6 (50:45):
Coke zero sugar, Real Coke Taste zero sugar.

Speaker 22 (50:49):
Hey, Deglutination, looking to get closer to the teams, coaches
and student athletes you love. It's time to go all
in with BBN United, the Ultimate way to support Kentucky's
student athletes and show off your With a BBN United membership,
you'll be invited to watch exclusive player and coach content,
access one of a kind ban experiences, get ukfan merchant
delivered to your door, and be part of something bigger

(51:10):
than the game. Sign up for BBN United at bbnunited
dot com. UK Athletics Official Fan Loyalty Program where Passion
Fuel's purpose.

Speaker 11 (51:19):
Toyota Thona is on and there's no better way to
get in the spirit of the season than with a
new Toyota like the best selling Toyota Camry Now through
December first, get four point seventy five APR financing on
remaining new twenty five cameras or LEAs a new twenty
six Camri Li for two sixty nine a month for
thirty nine months with thirty six ninety nine Do it
signing with the proof credit through TFS, Tax, Title and

(51:41):
License Extra. Call one eight eight eight thirty six Toyota
for details or go to Toyota dot Com Toyota Let's
Go Places Baseline.

Speaker 26 (51:49):
Tip or not athlet UK Athletics with Lanka Bank, our
official cornerstone partners, Central Bank, the official bank of UK Athletics,
Kentucky Farm Bureau Insurance, Big On Comitment and You Pay Healthcare,
official healthcare partner of Big Blue Nation Kentucky.

Speaker 4 (52:06):
Okay, take the morning track, walk Ali in Kentucky, go
some seventy two.

Speaker 26 (52:12):
Once again, thank you to our official Cornerstone partners who
play a vital role in the success of the University
of Kentucky Athletics program.

Speaker 15 (52:20):
Thinking about digging, planning a tree, putting up a fence,
hold that shovel before you break ground, head to Kentucky
eight one one dot org or call eight one one.
It's quick, it's free, and yep, it's the law. Submit
your request online or call before you dig. Member utility
pros will mark where the underground lines are. Don't risk
the injury, service outages, penalties, or costly repairs. Safety is

(52:41):
in your hands.

Speaker 16 (52:42):
Eight one one Before You Dig, Sponsored by the Kentucky
Public Service Commission.

Speaker 14 (52:46):
Flight by Yingling It's the next generation of light beer
for those who don't follow trends but craft them. Flight
by Yingling is twelve ounces of uncompromised refreshment from America's
oldest brewery with only two points six grams of carbs
a ninety five calories. This is premium refreshment, six generations.

Speaker 7 (53:05):
In the making.

Speaker 2 (53:06):
They'll just raise the glass, raise the bar.

Speaker 14 (53:09):
Flight by Yngling available wherever beer is sold, DJ Yngling
and unincorporated Potsol, Pennsylvania.

Speaker 7 (53:14):
Please enjoy responsibility, Wildcat fans.

Speaker 3 (53:28):
You can score big savings at Kroger with Kroger Fuel
Rewards points every purchase inside the store. Do you points
for up to tweurs off per pallon at the pump
Kroger Fresh for everyone. When we finish up here on
the Mark Pope Show presented by UK Healthcare, make sure
you stick around for bb AND Radio, which is presented

(53:48):
by Clark's Pumping Shop and Darren Hendrick is the host
and tonight is going to talk with Molly Breswitz from
Kentucky Volleyball and Kentucky Volleyball is the number two overall
seed in the NCAA tournament that starts this week and
there will be matches on Thursday and Friday at Historic
Memorial Coliseum. Kentucky plays against Wafford at seven as the

(54:10):
number one seed in the Lexington Regional on Thursday. If
the Wildcats win, they'll play again at seven on Friday
night against either UCLA or Georgia Tech, and they are
on an incredible run. We were talking off the air
about that ninety five season and the incredible comeback that
you guys had in the SEC tournament against Arkansas in
the final, you said eight down in the overtime. Maybe

(54:32):
the volleyball team loses the first two sets to the
team that's the number three overall seed in the NCAA
tournament Texas and came back and got them.

Speaker 1 (54:39):
And where it was a couple set points, wasn't able
to right on the brink it. It's pretty incredible. It
was incredible to watch the emotion of that team and
how tough they were. You know, they had unbelievable leadership.
You know, those are hard moments, like it's easy to
tell the story after, but you think about all the
emotion you're having, like you're to get swept in three sets,

(55:02):
down in the third set and then you just hang
in there, man, you just keep swimming, just just stay
alive and and then keep fighting. And that they what
what a I mean, that's a historic, historic uh SEC
championship match. And so proud of so proud of those girls,
and and and coach Skinner and and what they've done.

Speaker 3 (55:23):
It's incredible question off the Clark's Pumping shot text line.
Are your players studying shots selection charts and trying to
achieve better shots?

Speaker 1 (55:32):
I hope. So I'm not gonna I'm not gonna great
in detail right now because Leanne is looking at me
and she is so bored right now with shot selections.
She is just like, are we really talking? We talk
about shots selection all the time. Uh, yes, you know,
there's a there's a there's a real art and a
real science to shot selection and and for us, it's

(55:53):
it all comes back to this, like we talked about
at length in the last segment. It all comes down
to creating great shots for each other.

Speaker 3 (56:00):
It's the basis of what it is.

Speaker 1 (56:02):
And just like are just like all of us, sometimes
we can be self destructive and sometimes we come in
with such like hard wired tendencies and beliefs and so on.
Unlearning those things and actually having the belief in a
new way of thinking and holding on to that belief
in the most high pressured environment you could possibly imagine

(56:26):
as the challenge we're facing right now. And I think
we're gonna make progress. My teams always do.

Speaker 3 (56:30):
Last question of the night comes from Kelly on the
Clark's Pump and Shop text line, with a couple of
the big games early that didn't go as well as
you want to do. The guys feel any extra pressure
for the game tomorrow night.

Speaker 1 (56:43):
Yes, I'm sure they do, you know, but the pressure
is a privilege and and it's it's it's one of
the blessings of putting on this jersey. And I think
we would feel more pressure if we were undefeated right now.

Speaker 3 (56:55):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (56:55):
And I think we'll feel more pressure if we have
two losses right now, And I think we'd feel pressure.
You always feel pressure, and and it's it's it's it's
thank goodness man, the day that the pressure goes away,
what are we going to do with our life?

Speaker 3 (57:07):
Like, what are we doing?

Speaker 1 (57:08):
So there's a ton of pressure, and I'm so grateful
for that. And that's uh, it's it's, it's it's why
sports is great. And uh pressure. You have pressure when
you really care and when people really care, and Kentucky
really cares.

Speaker 3 (57:20):
And and we care. Some great questions from our listeners tonight.
Thanks for being here and answering, and we'll see tomorrow okay,
thanks brother. Game time nine thirty. Our coverage will start
with countdown of tip off presented by Jack Burford Chevrolet
of Kentucky and North Carolina. That'll get going at a
Eastern time with Dave and Cameron and Andrew. Make sure

(57:42):
you tune in all the coverage right here on the
UK Sports Network.

Speaker 6 (57:46):
This that has been the Mark Pope Show, presented by
UK Healthcare on the UK Sports Network. The Mark Pope
Show What's brought to you by Coca Cola, Appalachian Regional Healthcare.

Speaker 16 (57:58):
Little Caesars and by UK Healthcare.

Speaker 4 (58:02):
We are here to win Banners.

Speaker 6 (58:05):
Kentucky Basketball is a presentation of the UK Sports Network
Let's Go Cast powered by JMI Sports