Will Mark Pope be more successful than Pat Kelsey over the next five years?

Mark Pope will be an elite coach for the Kentucky Wildcats.

Former Kentucky basketball player and new head coach Mark Pope was animated during his announcement at Rupp Arena in Lexington Ky. on April 14, 2024. / Sam Upshaw Jr./Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Kentucky and Louisville rivalry on the hardwood hasn't been all that great over the last few years because Louisville has had a rough patch. Both of these programs made an offseason hire as Kentucky brought in Mark Pope and Louisville brought in Pat Kelsey. Both of these hires seem to be great so far, and both of these programs are moving in the right direction.

Matt Norlander and Gary Parrish of CBS Sports polled 100 coaches, asking who would be more successful over the next five years, Pope or Kelsey, and the resounding answer was Coach Pope. He got 67% of the vote, so two-thirds of the coaches believe the Wildcats will outperform the Cardinals over the next five years.

One Coach had this to say about why Coach Pope will be better than Coach Kelsey over the next five years.

"Kentucky has a built-in stability to it that I don't think Louisville does. Calipari's teams there were so naturally variable, given the one-and-done recruiting model he made use of, but Pope will be able to attract top talent while also being able to take the 'right' guys, whether they are ranked 12th in the country or 88th. Coach Cal didn't afford himself that opportunity, because of the recruiting arms race he put himself in year after year with Duke. Pope won't have to face the same pressure to land top-1 or -2 recruiting classes, as long as he wins. Louisville, despite its resources and Pat Kelsey's stellar track record, seems more prone to hot and cold spells, where recruits can waver. I still think Kelsey will be successful at Louisville, so this is not a knock on him, but I think Pope's brand of basketball, and the freedom to recruit his kind of guys with the Kentucky brand behind him, will make them a force. Also helps to be able to poach excellent assistants, like Alvin Brooks III, etc."

- Random D1 Coach

It makes sense why Coach Pope was the vote here as he is a better coach, X's and O's wise, and if he can recruit "his guys," the Wildcats will continue to dominate the Cardinals even with a solid coach like Kelsey.