Kentucky basketball’s struggles against power-conference opponents have become an unsettling trend under Mark Pope.
The latest example came Saturday, when the Wildcats fell 89-74 to Alabama. Kentucky trailed for nearly the entire game, with the Crimson Tide taking the lead with 16:16 left in the first half—and never looking back. By just 12 minutes in, Kentucky was already down double digits, and Alabama stretched the deficit to as much as 21 in the opening half.
While this season’s early deficits have raised eyebrows, this pattern actually goes back to Pope’s first season. Last year, for example, Kentucky pulled off a nine-point comeback against Duke, erasing double-digit deficits twice late in the game. They also overcame a 16-point halftime deficit to force overtime against Gonzaga in Spokane, eventually stealing the win.
But not every game ended in a comeback. This season, the Wildcats have endured heavy losses, including a 35-point blowout against Gonzaga, an 18-point deficit against Louisville, and a 17-point loss to Michigan State. They have had some comebacks, like outscoring Indiana 30-11 in the final 16 minutes after trailing by eight, but the trend is clear: Kentucky often finds itself in a hole early.
A particularly alarming stat highlights just how often this has happened. Since Pope took over, Kentucky is just 18-17 against power-conference teams. In those 35 games, the Wildcats have trailed by at least 10 points in 17 games, fallen behind 15 or more in 11 games, and even trailed by 20-plus points in eight contests.
Kentucky fans may remember Pope’s comment after the comeback against Duke last season: “I probably should’ve got a little more aggressive in the first half, but you’re just collecting data, right? We were getting pulverized in transition isolation and in ball screens. So we kind of went to a bunch of things in our bag.
That approach might sound analytical, but the numbers suggest that collecting data in the first half isn’t helping Kentucky win consistently against top competition. Falling behind has become a recurring challenge—and it’s putting Pope’s team on the defensive far too often.
