LEXINGTON — There were no shortage of memorable moments in Mark Pope‘s first year as Kentucky basketball‘s coach.
There was an overtime win against Gonzaga — a “neutral site” game in Seattle — in which UK overcame a 16-point halftime deficit. There was a high-scoring victory at Rupp Arena over in-state rival Louisville, also armed with a first-year coach in Pat Kelsey. There were a pair of one-point triumphs at Oklahoma’s expense — foiled on both occasions by an ex-Sooner, Otega Oweh — in the waning seconds, once in Norman, Oklahoma, and then in Nashville during the SEC Tournament. And there also was a regular-season sweep of border rival Tennessee, dispatching the Volunteers on the road as well as in Lexington.
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Off the court, Pope notched victories on the recruiting trail in the 2025 cycle, beginning with Malachi Moreno in August.
Yet none of those accomplishments made The Courier Journal’s cut of the most noteworthy highlights of Pope’s first season.
Ahead of the one-year anniversary of Pope’s hire on April 12, 2024, here’s a look back at the top five moments of his first 365 days guiding the program — listed in chronological order:
April 14, 2024: Mark Pope makes lasting impression at introductory news conference
Former Kentucky basketball player and new head coach Mark Pope was animated during his announcement at Rupp Arena in Lexington Ky. on April 14, 2024.
It was partly an introduction. But it also was a reunion. And by the time it was done, it turned into a revival of sorts.
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For older members of the Wildcats’ fan base, Pope represented a piece of the proud past: He played for UK during its glory days under coach Rick Pitino, winning a national title in 1996 with a team known as “The Untouchables.” For more youthful Kentucky supporters, while they may not have known Pope the player, Pope the coach was a breath of fresh air — an endlessly upbeat, 6-foot-10 infusion of energy, a stark contrast to the more buttoned-down approach of the final years of the John Calipari era.
Pope hit all the right notes during his opening remarks and the question-and-answer session that followed with media members.
He referenced the illustrious history of the winningest program in college basketball. He touted the importance of the SEC Tournament, an event his predecessor regularly downplayed (and openely disdained). There even was a callback to his playing days, as he entered Rupp Arena on a bus — just as the 1996 team did after returning to Lexington with a national championship trophy in tow — filled with former UK players, as fans who filled the building to capacity went delirious.
Above all, Pope knew why he’d been tabbed to navigate Kentucky into the future.
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“I understand the assignment,” he said. “We are here to win banners.”
Sept. 5, 2024: Pope and Co. reel in five-star in-state product, UK legacy Jasper Johnson
Jasper Johnson, right, a Lexington native and one of the top basketball players in the 2025 high school class, announces his commitment to the University of Kentucky during a ceremony at the Woodford County High School in Versailles, Ky. on Sep. 5, 2024. His grandmother Rosetta Johnson and brother Skyelar Johnson looked on at left.
It’s not as if UK didn’t beat out a notable list of suitors for Moreno; his other seven finalists were Arkansas, Indiana, Louisville, Iowa, Ohio State, North Carolina and Notre Dame.
But Jasper Johnson was different.
For much of the five-star guard’s recruitment, the Wildcats weren’t in the picture at all. Instead, it was expected to be a two-team battle between Alabama and North Carolina, who swapped places as his perceived leader for months. Yet as his commitment date drew closer, Kentucky gained more and more steam. Ultimately, those rumors turned out to be correct.
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When Johnson revealed his decision during a ceremony at Woodford County High School in Versailles, Kentucky was the pick.
He’d follow in his father’s footsteps; Dennis Johnson, now Woodford County’s athletics director and head football coach, starred on UK’s defensive line in the 1990s.
“I always wanted to be able to play for the University of Kentucky,” Jasper said after his commitment. “So now that I’m here, with this opportunity to do it, that’s really what gave me the (comfort level) with Kentucky.”
Landing Johnson’s signature, and fending off the Crimson Tide and the Tar Heels in the process, gave Pope another victory before he ever notched an on-court win as the Wildcats’ coach.
Nov. 12, 2024: Kentucky rallies in second half to stun Cooper Flagg-led Duke at Champions Classic
Nov 12, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Lamont Butler (1) shoots between Duke Blue Devils guard Tyrese Proctor (5) and forward Maliq Brown (6) during the second half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
As was the case every time he suited up last season, Duke’s freshman phenom, Cooper Flagg, was the best player on the floor when he squared off with Kentucky in a Champions Classic clash in Atlanta on Nov. 12.
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That night at State Farm Arena, Flagg posted game highs in points (26) and rebounds (11).
But in the end, experience got the better of youth: The upperclassmen-laden Wildcats clawed back from a nine-point halftime deficit to earn a 77-72 win, forcing a pair of costly turnovers from Flagg in the final minute to seal the victory.
After so many losses in high-profile contests in the waning years of Calipari’s tenure, knocking off Duke in his third game as Kentucky’s coach was a resounding statement by Pope that he was the right man for the job.
Even if it was the last thing he wanted to discuss afterward.
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“When it can be about us, that’s when it’s magic. That’s the gospel. That’s life,” Pope said. “This team has really adopted that. … It’s a brilliant thing, and we get to be at the best place in the world to do it.”
Jan. 4, 2025: In showcase of explosive offenses, Kentucky hands eventual national champion Florida first loss
Kentucky’s Amari Williams celebrates slamming one home against Florida’s Sam Alexis Saturday in Rupp Arena. Jan. 4, 2024
No opponent figured out Florida before the calendar flipped to 2025. In the Gators’ 13 games in 2024, they notched 13 victories. And only one of those wins (90-84 over North Carolina) was by less than 10 points.
UK removed that zero from Florida’s loss column, however, outscoring the visitors, 106-100, in a high-octane bout at Rupp Arena in the SEC opener for both teams.
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How did the Wildcats end the Gators’ unbeaten run?
Through balance.
Though Florida’s dynamic guard duo of Walter Clayton Jr. and Alijah Martin combined for 59 points — a game-high 33 for the former, 26 for the latter — it wasn’t enough to overcome UK’s well-distributed offense, as all five starters (Oweh, Lamont Butler, Andrew Carr, Jaxson Robinson and Amari Williams) finished with at least 14. That’s not even accounting for Koby Brea‘s team-high 23 points off the bench.
It was by no means a defensive masterpiece for Pope’s group: Florida shot 55% (33 for 60) in a losing effort. But Kentucky was better, knocking down 57.8% (37 for 64) of its attempts, with an assist-to-turnover rate (25 assists against just six turnovers) that Pope admitted was “insane” to see on the stat sheet.
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“Twenty-five assists, six turnovers against the No. 1 defensive team in the half court in the country over the last six games? That’s crazy,” Pope said. “It’s what you want: You just want to go against the biggest challenge. You want to go against the best teams.”
Barely three months later, Florida proved it was the best the country had to offer during the 2024-25 campaign, topping Houston in the national championship game.
The Gators ended the season with only four losses on their ledger.
Kentucky was the first.
March 23, 2025: At long last, UK returns to NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 thanks to second-round win over Illinois
Illinois guard Kylan Boswell (4) guards Kentucky forward Ansley Almonor (15) during the first half of their second round NCAA men’ s basketball tournament game Sunday, March 23, 2025 at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Kentucky doesn’t print banners for Sweet 16 appearances; that’s reserved solely for Final Fours. And national runner-up finishes. And, most importantly, national championships.
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But you’ve got to start somewhere.
And after five seasons of frustrating returns to cap Calipari’s tenure — two one-and-done exits to double-digit seeds, a second-round loss to Kansas State, no tournament in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic and the worst season in the program’s modern history (9-16 in 2020-21) — UK fans were desperate to see their team reach the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019.
Earning the 3-seed in the Midwest Region, Kentucky trounced Troy in the first round, which doubled as Pope’s first March Madness win. Then in the second round, sixth-seeded Illinois was no match for UK, as Pope’s club led for more than 37 minutes of an 84-75 victory in Milwaukee.
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Round 3 with Tennessee? Wasn’t so sweet for the Wildcats, as their bitter nemesis to the south took a 15-point advantage into intermission and never looked back en route to a 78-65 win in Indianapolis.
Despite the one-sided nature of the season-ending defeat, those around Kentucky’s program are convinced brighter days are on the horizon.
“I think the University of Kentucky is in great hands,” Brea said. “Just to see what he’s done this year — his first year — and not only that, but he’s a lifechanger to our group.
“I feel like he’s helped us so much off the court and on the court, and it’s going to be really special to see what he continues to do for this team and for this university.”
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Another departing senior concurred with that rosy viewpoint.
“We were able to make history at the mecca of college basketball,” Carr said. “For us to be able to come in here in coach Pope’s first year and be able to do that has been nothing short of amazing.
“I’m super excited to see for the next 10, 15 years what kind of dominant run coach Pope can start.”
Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky basketball: Highlights from coach Mark Pope’s 2024-25 season
