Mark Pope has BBN confident the Kentucky Wildcats will make a deep NCAA Tournament run

When Mark Pope got to Kentucky, the Wildcats hadn't been out of the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament since the pandemic, but that changed as Pope's first team made a Sweet 16 run.

During the drought this program went through without tournament runs, the off-season's felt a little bit different in Lexington. It changed last season as fans were excited about Coach Pope, but there wasn't a ton of belief in a deep run in his first year.

All of that has changed this offseason in Lexington as Big Blue Nation knows that Pope has a team that will be one of the best in all of college basketball. Part of the extra excitement about this team does have to do with the presumed struggles of the football team, but fans are chomping at the bit to watch the 2025-26 Wildcats play.

Pope's team is finally arriving on campus for the summer, and fans can't wait to hear how players are looking ahead of this highly anticipated season.

The roster for the 2025-26 season is deep from top to bottom, which should help the Wildcats collect a bunch of SEC wins and then make a postseason run.

Otega Oweh is back, and the staff did an incredible job in the transfer portal to pair with two five-star recruits, which gives Pope one of the best rosters in all of college basketball.

The anticipation for the upcoming college basketball season in Lexington, Kentucky, is at an all-time high as fans believe this team is capable of winning the school its ninth national title.