Kentucky’s Mouhamed Dioubate, left, dunks the ball in front of Michigan State’s Jaxon Kohler during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
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Kentucky coach Mark Pope gently tapped on the referee’s shoulder. He had seen enough. He needed a timeout. Michigan State, among the nation’s worst 3-point shooting teams, had made its sixth 3 Tuesday night, extending a 17-2 run and giving the Spartans a 13-point lead with just under seven minutes remaining in the first half.
A break made sense for Pope. It would give him a chance to calm down or motivate his players and reiterate or change the game plan, anything to reinvigorate his team. And there was plenty of time remaining. But from there, things never really got much better, as the No. 12 Wildcats lost 83-66 to No. 17 Michigan State in the Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden to fall to 3-2 on the season.
More than 45 minutes after the game, Pope was still having trouble comprehending Kentucky’s performance.
“We’re far away from the team that we hoped or aspired to be,” he said. “We can’t waste a second on trying to grow into that. We’re disappointed and discouraged and completely discombobulated right now.”
This wasn’t supposed to happen. Not at Kentucky. The Lexington Herald Leader reported last month that Kentucky’s payroll this season is about $22 million, likely the highest in the sport, although schools do not disclose how much they pay athletes via revenue sharing and Name, Image and Likeness deals.
“We have the best donors in college basketball,” Pope told reporters in May. “We have the best fans in college basketball. This is the University of Kentucky. I never forget that. We should be the best at everything.”
Now, though, Kentucky is at the lowest point it’s been since Pope arrived in April 2024, replacing John Calipari, who left for Arkansas. Calipari was the second-longest tenured coach and had the second-most victories in UK history, only behind Adolph Rupp, who spent 41 seasons with the Wildcats. In 15 seasons, Calipari sent dozens of players to the NBA, led Kentucky to the 2012 NCAA tournament championship and made two other Final Fours.
Still, by the end, Calipari had worn out his welcome, as the Wildcats lost in the first round of the 2024 NCAA tournament and hadn’t advanced past the second round since 2019. While UK targeted other higher-profile coaches before hiring Pope, he was a natural fit. Pope played on Kentucky’s 1996 national championship team, remained a popular figure in Lexington and had nine seasons of head coaching experience, including the previous five at BYU. The Wildcats seemed to have found their man last season when Pope revamped the roster, led the team to a 24-12 record and made the Sweet 16.
Entering this season, Kentucky was ninth in the Associated Press poll and picked to finish second in the Southeastern Conference behind Florida, the reigning national champions. But so far, the Wildcats have struggled playing together, a byproduct perhaps of a roster that has several transfers and freshmen who are not yet accustomed to each other.
Kentucky lost by eight points at Louisville last Tuesday, an outcome that never sits well with the fan base in the heated rivalry. Seven days later, the Wildcats were even worse against Michigan State, a team that shot just 21.7% on 3-pointers (13 of 60) in its first three games, which was 362nd out of 365 Division 1 teams. On Tuesday, the Spartans made 11 of 22 3’s, had 25 assists on 32 field goals and handled UK with ease. They led by at least 10 points for the final 33 minutes.
“We just played poor,” Pope said. “It was poor, poor attention to detail on the defensive end.”
Yes, Kentucky was shorthanded Tuesday. Point guard Jaland Lowe, a transfer from Pitt, sat out his second consecutive game due to a shoulder injury. Jayden Quaintance, a 6-foot-10 sophomore forward and Arizona State transfer, also hasn’t played all season as he recovers from an anterior cruciate ligament surgery. Quaintance is projected as the No. 9 pick in next year’s NBA draft, per ESPN.
Still, the Wildcats have more than enough talent and invested millions in a roster that was overmatched against Michigan State. Four starters scored in double figures, led by guard Otega Oweh, who had 12 points on 4 of 12 shooting. Forward Mouhamed Dioubate and guards Denzel Aberdeen and Collin Chandler added 10 points apiece, but reserve center Malachi Moreno was the only UK player to shoot at least 50% from the floor, and he made just one of two field goals.
The Wildcats shot 35.1% from the floor and 23.3% (7 of 30) on 3’s, both of which were season-lows and the second-worst percentages since Pope took over. Kentucky also had 24 rebounds, 16 fewer than its previous low this season.
“I’ve got to do a better job,” Pope said. “My messaging is not resonating with the guys right now. That’s my responsibility.”
Pope has time to turn things around with a team that has three transfers in the rotation in Dioubate (Alabama), Aberdeen (Florida) and guard Kam Williams (Tulane), plus three freshmen contributors in Moreno, guard Jasper Johnson and forward Andrija Jelavic. The Wildcats also have Oweh, the leading scorer on last year’s team and preseason SEC player of the year who is averaging 12.8 points per game on 43.1% shooting, down from 16.2 points and 49.2% last season. If Oweh can return to form, Chandler can continue to improve, Lowe and Quaintance can get back on the court and the transfers and freshmen can get comfortable in Pope’s system, UK could be among the nation’s best teams, as had been predicted.
For now, the Wildcats are searching for answers. And even as the normally positive and outgoing Pope was withdrawn and upset Tuesday, he held out hope.
“We won’t fail this season,” Pope said. “We just have failed up until today. We will build an organization where it won’t be disrupted every time someone steps in and steps out because we’ll have a team identity, not an individual identity.”
He added: “Until we get there, we’re going to really struggle. That’s my job. That’s why they brought me here. I’m doing it poorly. I won’t do it poorly for much longer.”