Author: successsport360
This game wasn’t even supposed to exist. Kentucky was originally scheduled to face UCLA in Atlanta. When the Bruins backed out of the contract, St. John’s stepped in immediately — and what should’ve been a solid neutral-site matchup instantly turned into chaos theater. Now it’s Mark Pope on one sideline and Rick Pitino on the other. The current Kentucky coach facing the man most associated with reviving the program in the 1990s. St. John’s enters at 6–3 after tumbling from No. 5 down to No. 22. Kentucky sits at 7–4, unranked, still trying to prove it’s more than a gritty,…
For years, Bruce Pearl was a familiar — and often fiery — presence on the opposing sideline when Kentucky basketball was involved. Across 21 seasons as a high-major head coach, including 17 years in the SEC at Tennessee and Auburn, Pearl regularly crossed paths with the Wildcats. His teams went 11–18 against Kentucky, with his final meeting leaving a lasting impression: Auburn’s 94–78 win at Rupp Arena last March. Now, Pearl is back around the Kentucky program in a much different role. After retiring from coaching in late September and turning Auburn’s program over to his son, Steven, the 65-year-old…
Mark Pope didn’t arrive at Kentucky to win games in the 60s. From the moment he took the job, he talked about pace, spacing, threes, and an offense driven by tempo and analytics — something closer to a sprint than a slugfest. But eleven games into the season, the version of Kentucky that looks the most dangerous isn’t the one raining jumpers. It’s the one turning games into street fights. And the strangest part? Kentucky’s most intimidating lineup might also be its worst offensive group on paper: Jaland Lowe Otega Oweh Kam Williams Mouhamed Dioubate Jayden Quaintance (when fully healthy)…
Rick Pitino was among Mark Pope’s strongest supporters when Kentucky began its coaching search, but the Hall of Fame coach believes his former player is now facing a familiar challenge at one of college basketball’s most demanding jobs. As Kentucky prepares to face St. John’s in Saturday’s CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta (12:30 p.m. ET, CBS), both programs are still working to blend rosters built heavily through the transfer portal. “I think Mark’s going to have a great run at Kentucky,” Pitino said Thursday at Carnesecca Arena. “But he’s dealing with what I’m dealing with — a new team, eight…
Kentucky fans continue to track every development surrounding Jayden Quaintance, and while optimism is growing, head coach Mark Pope is still stopping short of confirming the freshman’s debut ahead of Saturday’s matchup with St. John’s in Atlanta. The 6-foot-10 big man has taken meaningful steps forward in recent days, enough to change the tone of Pope’s public comments. What was once framed as a timeline measured in “days and weeks” has now narrowed considerably. “We’re down to days and hours, maybe a week or so,” Pope said earlier this week, offering the clearest indication yet that Quaintance’s return is approaching.…
Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope gave an encouraging update on Jayden Quaintance, fueling speculation that the sophomore forward could finally make his season debut as soon as this Saturday against St. John’s. Quaintance, who transferred from Arizona State this offseason, has been sidelined all year recovering from a torn ACL he suffered last February. But Pope says the forward is making significant strides in practice. “He had a good practice on Tuesday. First time ever he crossed half court in some drill work, so that was good,” Pope said Thursday. “We’ll see how he is today. He’s making incredible…
The start of the 2025-26 season hasn’t gone as planned for Kentucky men’s basketball. The Wildcats enter the holiday season with an 0-4 record against Top 25 teams and no national ranking. Amid the struggles, one highly touted player has been closely watched from the sidelines: Jayden Quaintance. Fans are eager for a spark, and it may finally arrive this weekend. During his weekly press conference on Thursday, head coach Mark Pope left the door open for Quaintance to make his Kentucky debut on Saturday against No. 22 St. John’s. “Yeah, we’ll see,” Pope said. “He’s been out of basketball…
December 18 will always hold a special place in Kentucky basketball history. On this day in 1930, a young head coach named Adolph Rupp paced the sideline for the first time as the leader of the Kentucky Wildcats. No one inside that gym could have imagined what was about to unfold over the next four decades — a run that would help define college basketball itself. Rupp’s debut marked the beginning of a 41-year coaching career at Kentucky, one that quickly turned the Wildcats into a national power. From that very first game, the foundation was laid for a program…
When Aaron Harrison talks about pressure, he isn’t speaking hypothetically. He’s lived it — shot by shot, possession by possession, with Kentucky’s season hanging in the balance and the entire country watching. He’s the guard who calmly rose up in March and buried dagger threes that still echo through Big Blue Nation. The 2014 NCAA Tournament run is etched in Kentucky history because of Harrison: clutch shots against Michigan and Wisconsin, moments when the Wildcats looked finished and he simply refused to let the season die. So when Harrison says not everyone is built for Kentucky, it lands differently. A…
The Kentucky Wildcats’ 72-60 win over Indiana on Saturday was full of energy and hustle, but one play in the first half perfectly captured the grit of Kentucky’s top point guard, Jaland Lowe. With the game tied at 11, Lowe read an Indiana passing lane, knocked away a ball intended for Hoosiers star Lamar Wilkerson, and sprinted down the sideline to try and save the possession. Fully stretched out, he tumbled end over end into the broadcast table. The Rupp Arena crowd went silent for a heartbeat, fearing another injury, before erupting in applause as Lowe popped up, unscathed but…