Mark Pope says Kentucky is "deadly serious" about winning

Pope knows the expectations that comes at Kentucky.

Oct 23, 2024; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope celebrates during the first half against the Kentucky Wesleyan Panthers at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images / Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

The Kentucky Wildcats are coming off of their first exhibition game, and it was a convincing 71-point victory over KWC. Mark Pope, as a former player at Kentucky in 1996 under Rick Pitino, knows exactly what comes with playing at Kentucky. Now, he's living those expectations as a coach.

A big emphasis so far before the season even officially begins is making sure his players know the expectations at Kentucky and just how important winning is to the Big Blue Nation. Pope says that the team and staff are "deadly serious" about winning, and that it really matters, especially here.

"We are deadly serious about winning. Winning matters. ...We are here to win. This is Kentucky. The first time we don't win a game, you guys are going to burn my house down. We don't spend a lot of time thinking about what this (stat) sheet is going to look like after the game. We spend all of our time thinking about what we are trying to do in the moment. So, I think of course there is all the nerves. It's the first time in this building. This is Kentucky and there is massive expectations and all of those things."

- Pope on the team's expectations.

A common thing from the off-season that was said numerous times was that the players "understand the assignment." Even in all of the videos of the players arriving on campus, all of them said something along those lines. That was a key factor in Pope's recruiting method this off-season. He wanted players that fit his system, but also understand what it means to play at Kentucky and what comes with it.

The entire team understands what they signed up for, and they're all up for the challenges at Kentucky playing under a coach that has been in their shoes before.