Will Mark Pope succeed in year one as Kentucky's head basketball coach?

How good will Kentucky's 2024-25 team be under Mark Pope?

University of Kentucky’s new men’s basketball coach Mark Pope applauds as Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart introduces him to the thousands of fans in Rupp Arena for his press conference on Sunday, April 14, 2024. / Clare Grant/Courier Journal / USA TODAY

Big Blue Nation has settled into the John Calipari era being over in Lexington, and Mark Pope is the new face of college basketball's most historic program. Coach Pope hasn't been in Lexington all that long, but he has already put together a roster for the upcoming 2024-25 season.

When Coach Pope was hired, there was concern that with not much of a recruiting class, it would be hard for him to put together a competitive team with just the transfer portal. Well, the good news for Kentucky fans is he found a way to do that, and it looks like the Wildcats will be a top 25 team heading into the season.

Coach Pope brought in a bunch of veteran players who should put together an elite, balanced team that, based on the DNA, will hopefully make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. Over the last few seasons of college hoops, teams that are older and experienced have succeeded in March, and that is the build of Coach Pope's first team in Lexington.

Coach Pope's team has elite scorers like Jaxson Robinson, Andrew Carr, and Koby Brea, who will take most of the shots. The Wildcats also have lockdown defenders like Lamont Butler and Amari Williams, who will make it tough for opposing teams to score.

Some in the national media might not be convinced that Coach Pope is going to have a lot of success in year one, but this roster is one that can make a run in the NCAA Tournament.