Mark Pope: Breaking News, Rumors & Highlights

Kentucky Wildcats News / A Sea of Blue / June 13

Kentucky Basketball offers Deron Rippey

Another name to monitor in the 2026 class. Mark Pope and his staff have hit the recruiting trail hard in the class of 2026 as they look to bring in some of the top talent from a very good class.

College Basketball News / Athlon Sports / June 12

North Carolina Basketball Sends Message After Kentucky News

North Carolina’s big announcement that it will travel to Rupp Arena on December 2, 2025, to face Kentucky in the third ACC-SEC Challenge instantly revived memories of one of college basketball’s great rivalries.

College Basketball News / Kentucky Wildcats on SI / June 12

Caleb Wilson had a message after it was announced Kentucky will face North Carolina

It was announced on Wednesday that the Kentucky Wildcats would be taking on the North Carolina Tar Heels in the SEC/ACC Challenge this season. Mark Pope and the Wildcats will host the Tar Heels in Rupp Arena, which will set up a very interesting storyline.

College Basketball News / Kentucky Wildcats on SI / June 11

Kentucky will face off with a blue blood program in the SEC/ACC Challenge

One of the most exciting events in college basketball is the SEC/ACC Challenge, and Mark Pope is looking for his first win in this event. Last season, the Wildcats went on the road and lost to the Clemson Tigers.

Kentucky Wildcats News / Kentucky Wildcats on SI / June 11

Could Kentucky basketball have a surprise starter for the 2025-26 season?

Mark Pope and the Kentucky coaching staff did an incredible job of landing a ton of talent for the 2025-26 roster, which is why college basketball experts have the Wildcats ranked as a top ten team in the nation heading into the season.

Kentucky Wildcats News / Kentucky Wildcats on SI / June 10

Kentucky center Brandon Garrison explains the post move Mark Pope taught him

On Tuesday, Kentucky returning stars Brandon Garrison and Otega Oweh spoke with the media for the first time since the end of last season. Garrison had a lot of great things to say about the offseason, but one question he was asked was how having a coach who was big in the NBA has helped the forwards on this roster.

Kentucky Wildcats News / Kentucky Wildcats on SI / June 10

Kentucky coach Mark Pope is recruiting an Italian 7'3 center in the 2026 class

Mark Pope has made it clear early into his tenure as the head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats that he is going to be looking for players all over not only the United States but also the world.

Kentucky Wildcats News / Kentucky Wildcats on SI / June 9

Kentucky basketball hosted a very important five-star recruit this weekend

With the 2025-26 roster fully put together, Mark Pope and his coaching staff are starting to focus on the 2026 recruiting class. Coach Pope has been active with almost every player ranked in the top ten in this class, so Kentucky fans can expect a great class.

Kentucky Wildcats News / Kentucky Wildcats on SI / June 9

Mark Pope shared his reaction to finding out Otega Oweh was returning to Kentucky

The Kentucky Wildcats received massive news at the NBA Draft decision deadline as Otega Oweh announced he was coming back to Kentucky. Kentucky hosted some different camps this weekend, and a video surfaced of Oweh asking Coach Mark Pope to reenact how he reacted when Oweh called him to say he was coming back to Kentucky.

College Basketball News / Athlon Sports / June 6

Mark Pope, Kentucky Interested in 7-Foot-1 Prospect

The Kentucky Wildcats are looking to build off a run to last year's Sweet 16 in Mark Pope's first season as head coach. All the pressure in the world is on the shoulders of the 52-year-old coach, who had to fill the big shoes left behind by John Calipari.

College Basketball News / Kentucky Wildcats on SI / June 6

Will Jasper Johnson be a one and done player for Mark Pope's Kentucky Wildcats?

Jasper Johnson is a Kentucky native five-star freshman who many anticipate being a star for Mark Pope's Kentucky Wildcats. The left-handed shooting combo guard lit up Overtime Elite over the last year, and now he is ready for college ball.

Kentucky Wildcats News / Kentucky Wildcats on SI / June 5

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.

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Kentucky Wildcats News / Kentucky Wildcats on SI / June 3

College basketball expert makes a bold prediction about Kentucky's preseason ranking

Mark Pope is on a mission in year two. After putting the entire roster in just a month last offseason, Pope and his staff had plenty of time to figure out how they want to build the roster, improving on their weaknesses from last season with transfer portal additions.

Kentucky Wildcats News / Kentucky Wildcats on SI / June 2

Kentucky basketball listed by CBS Sports as a top winner in the transfer portal

Mark Pope did an excellent job of turning the success his team saw during the 2024-25 season into success recruiting in the transfer portal as the Wildcats landed one of the top classes in the nation.

Kentucky Wildcats News / Kentucky Wildcats on SI / June 1

Jayden Quaintance ranked as a top 10 transfer by ESPN

Mark Pope and the Kentucky stuff went and picked up some really nice additions in the transfer portal to build around the return of Otega Oweh, who is poised for an All-American caliber season, but none of the portal additions were as big as Jayden Quaintance.

Kentucky Wildcats News / Kentucky Wildcats on SI / May 31

Mark Pope's 2025-26 Kentucky roster will make a drastic improvement in an important category

Last season, the Kentucky Wildcats put together an impressive season in year one of the Mark Pope era, making a run to the Sweet 16. This was so impressive because Coach Pope had to put this team together in about a month using the transfer portal.

Kentucky Wildcats News / Kentucky Wildcats on SI / May 30

How concerning is Jayden Quaintance's injury for Kentucky ahead of the season?

Mark Pope made a big splash in the transfer portal, bringing in Jayden Quaintance from Arizona State. At one point, Quaintance was committed to John Calipari at Kentucky but ended up deciding to go to ASU for his freshman campaign.