Five games into Year 2 of the Mark Pope era, the honeymoon in Lexington is officially over. Kentucky sits at 3–2 after a humbling 17-point beatdown from Michigan State in the Champions Classic — the second time in a week the Cats have wilted on a national stage. Add in the shouting matches during timeouts and the bizarre Louisville pregame locker-room incident that still lingers like a cloud, and the noise around the program has grown impossible to ignore.
Mark Pope himself hasn’t looked immune to the pressure. He walked into Madison Square Garden with the weight of Kentucky basketball on his shoulders, and his “I will not fail” promise afterward only amplified the concern. For the first time, fans are openly asking whether he can truly right the ship.
But someone with a powerful voice in Kentucky history isn’t panicking.
Pitino: “Kentucky will be great come March.”
In a conversation with Adam Zagoria, Rick Pitino offered a full-throated defense of his former captain.
“Michigan State made threes, which was very unexpected,” Pitino said, referencing the Spartans’ 11-for-22 barrage from deep. “But there’s no question in my mind that Kentucky, come March, will be a great basketball team.”
Pitino’s comments come as the national conversation around Kentucky has centered on one thing: the rumored $22 million NIL payroll for this year’s roster. It’s become the go-to criticism for rivals, talking heads, and anyone eager to take a shot at the modern state of college basketball.
But according to Pitino, the number is nothing more than fiction.
Pitino calls the $22 million rumor “exaggerated”
“Everything is exaggerated,” Pitino said. “Unless it’s proven, it’s not factual. Nobody knows the payroll is $22 million. People can’t just make up numbers.”
He went further, saying every major program has inflated NIL myths attached to it — including St. John’s, where he himself coaches.
“I’m close with Mark, and I don’t believe in these numbers,” Pitino added. “Everybody exaggerates these numbers. They do it with us, and they do it with every place.”
A timely boost from a trusted mentor
It’s no surprise that Pitino would step in now. Pope was his team captain on the 1996 national championship squad, and Pope has always openly admired his old coach. The two will stand on opposite sidelines again soon in the CBS Sports Classic — a game Kentucky desperately needs to look prepared for.
Because while the $22M rumor might not be real, the issues on the court absolutely are. And the pressure on Pope will only grow until this team starts looking like the one fans expected.
For now, though, he still has Rick Pitino in his corner — and that endorsement carries weight in Lexington.
