Mark Pope: Breaking News, Rumors & Highlights

The upside of these three Kentucky Wildcats will take Mark Pope's team to the next level

From top to bottom, there is a ton of talent on this Kentucky basketball roster, but there are three players whose upside hitting will take Pope's team to the next level.

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Collin Chandler is back at practice after dealing with a minor injury

Chandler has high expectations going into his sophomore season. After coming on strong late in his freshman season last year, Kentucky Wildcats guard Collin Chandler is poised to build off that strong finish and parlay that into a strong second season with Mark Pope and the Wildcats.

Kentucky Wildcats News / A Sea of Blue / July 30

5-star forward Christian Collins reschedules visit to Kentucky Basketball

Collins will be visiting multiple high-major programs. One name in the recruitment world for Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats is Christian Collins. A 5-star forward, Collins originally set his official visit to Lexington for a weekend in mid-October, around the time of Big Blue Madness.

Mark Pope News / Kentucky Wildcats on SI / July 30

Mark Pope has called out one of Kentucky's players to take on a leadership role

Leadership is a big part of any sports team, and that is the case with this year's Kentucky basketball team. Knowing the Wildcats lost a lot of veteran players from last year's team, someone on the 2025-26 team will have to step up as a leader.

Duke Blue Devils News / Yardbarker Quizzes

The 'AP men's college basketball Players of the Year' quiz

How many of the men's college basketball players to be named the Associated Press' Player of the Year since the 1999-2000 season can you name in five minutes?

The 'Naismith Men's Player of the Year Award winner' quiz

The 'ACC Player of the Year since 2000-01' quiz

The 'NBA Rookies of the Year' quiz

Kentucky Wildcats News / A Sea of Blue / July 29

Kentucky offers 5-star center Ethan Taylor

Another one to watch. We are starting to get a clearer picture of potential players that could be a part of the 2026 class for Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats.

Kentucky Wildcats News / A Sea of Blue / July 29

Kentucky projected as 3-seed in latest Bracketology from Joe Lunardi

Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology update features 14 SEC teams, including a loaded Kentucky squad. The longtime Bracketologist, Joe Lunardi, released his newest NCAA Tournament projection Tuesday morning, and this was the first time since late June that it has brought familiar news for Kentucky fans.

Kentucky Wildcats News / Kentucky Wildcats on SI / July 29

CBS Sports lists Kentucky basketball as one of the top winners of the transfer portal

A big part of the future of college basketball is the transfer portal, and now, having put two rosters together during his time at Kentucky, it is clear Mark Pope is elite at using it.

Mark Pope News / Kentucky Wildcats on SI / July 29

Mark Pope has his players bought into one mission for the 2025-26 college basketball season

Mark Pope has put together a basketball team that has enough talent to do something very special during the 2025-26 season. Some basketball teams have enough talent to win a national title, but they aren't getting buy-in from the players.

Kentucky Wildcats News / Kentucky Wildcats on SI / July 28

Three reasons why Mark Pope has Kentucky basketball set up for long-term success

Kentucky basketball historically is one of the best programs in college basketball, but over the last handful of years, the program hasn't lived up to the hype.

College Basketball News / A Sea of Blue / July 28

Monday Headlines: Jasper Johnson is Committed to Improving Defense

Always room to improve on defense. Kentucky basketball head coach Mark Pope and his staff had to be more than thrilled when they landed 4-star recruit Jasper Johnson last fall.

Kentucky Wildcats News / A Sea of Blue / July 28

4 takeaways from Kentucky Basketball summer workouts thus far

Here are a few key takeaways from the summer workouts for Mark Pope’s Year 2 group. The Kentucky Wildcats are wrapping up summer workouts as Big Blue Madness is just now over two months away.

Mark Pope News / Kentucky Wildcats on SI / July 27

ESPN believes Mark Pope's Kentucky Wildcats are title contenders

Mark Pope did an excellent job of landing elite talent to put together his 2025-26 roster. Adding players from the transfer portal, high school recruiting, and getting Otega Oweh back has the Wildcats in a great spot.

Mark Pope News / Kentucky Wildcats on SI / July 26

Braydon Hawthorne details Kentucky's focus on defense in practice

Mark Pope was brutally honest about where Kentucky's defense stands right now in his press conference on Monday, saying the Wildcats have a 'long way to go.' That came after the players hyped up Kentucky's potential on that end of the floor, and while that may be true, Kentucky still has work to do.

Kentucky Wildcats News / A Sea of Blue / July 26

Baba Oladotun weighs reclassification as Kentucky shows interest

Will we see the talented forward make the jump to the 2026 class? Mark Pope and his staff are starting to hone in on their top targets for the class of 2026 as official visits and list cuts begin to happen for players across the country.

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The 'National League MVPs' quiz

The 'NFL stadium names' quiz

The 'NFL all-time touchdown receptions leaders' quiz

The 'MLB mascot names' quiz

College Basketball News / Kentucky Wildcats on SI / July 25

Former Kentucky Wildcat describes the differences between John Calipari and Mark Pope

Mark Pope is now the head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats, and there are some big differences in the way he coaches compared to the prior coach, John Calipari.

Kentucky Wildcats News / A Sea of Blue / July 24

Anthony Thompson trims list and Kentucky makes the cut

The Cats make it into the top-seven for the five-star forward. We are in list-cutting season, folks. With several of the Kentucky Wildcats' staff top players starting to focus in on their recruitments, Mark Pope and his staff are starting to get a clearer picture of what players might be in the top tier of potential commitments.

Kentucky Wildcats News / Kentucky Wildcats on SI / July 24

Mark Pope has plenty of options to backup Jaland Lowe at point guard

One of the big offseason questions for the Kentucky Wildcats has been about the backup point guard position. Jaland Lowe is the starting point guard for this team, and it sounds like he is adjusting to Pope's system nicely.

Kentucky Wildcats News / Kentucky Wildcats on SI / July 24

Is Kentucky the new leader for Tyran Stokes the #1 player in the 2026 class?

Mark Pope is looking to land a big fish in the 2026 recruiting class, and there is no bigger fish than the number one overall player. Tyran Stokes is a five-star from the Bluegrass State, but he plays his hoops currently in California at Notre Dame High School.

Kentucky Wildcats News / Kentucky Wildcats on SI / July 23

2026 top 40 prospect discusses his recent offer from Kentucky

Kentucky is moving quickly with a top 40 stock-rising recruit in the 2026 class. After the staff first reached out to top 40 forward Maximo Adams, which was first reported by KSR's Jacob Polacheck on Tuesday, the four-star announced he had received an offer on Wednesday.

Kentucky Wildcats News / Kentucky Wildcats on SI / July 23

Will Croatian PF Andrija Jelavic start for the Kentucky Wildcats?

One of the most underrated additions Mark Pope made this offseason was that of Croatian power forward Andrija Jelavic. He has been playing in one of the best leagues overseas, which has produced some elite NBA players.

Kentucky Wildcats News / Kentucky Wildcats on SI / July 23

Kentucky offers a sharpshooting top 25 wing in the 2026 class

Mark Pope and the Kentucky basketball staff have extended another offer in the 2026 class. The staff has casted a very wide net in the class, involved with nearly every top 10 recruit.

College Basketball News / NCAA Basketball on ClutchPoints / July 21

Mark Pope recalls wild Rick Pitino story from 1996 Kentucky basketball season

Mark Pope is now the head coach of the Kentucky basketball team, but he used to be a player for the Wildcats back in the day. When Pope played at Kentucky, he was coached by current St.

College Basketball News / Yardbarker / July 21

Mark Pope explains what sets Kentucky basketball apart

Mark Pope explains what makes Kentucky basketball different from the rest

The standard is the standard at Kentucky, and according to head coach Mark Pope, that's what makes the Wildcats who they are.

NCAA hands out punishment to Memphis for academic integrity violations

The 'Kentucky men's basketball coaches' quiz

The 'AP men's college basketball Players of the Year' quiz

Austin Pope Hired As Head Video Coordinator Of South Bay Lakers

Former Kentucky graduate assistant Austin Pope has been hired by the Los Angeles Lakers, he told Lakers Nation. The Burbank, Calif. native will fill the role of head video coordinator for the South Bay Lakers in the G League.

Kentucky Wildcats News / Yardbarker / May 23