Kentucky men’s basketball coach Mark Pope reacts to March Madness loss
Following a 78-65 loss to Tennessee in the 2025 NCAA men’s basketball March Madness tournament, Kentucky coach Mark Pope expressed pride for his players. “We’ll be talking about these guys 10 years from now,” Pope.
- Kentucky finished the season ranked No. 14 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll and No. 12 in the AP Top 25.
The college basketball season is officially over after Florida defeated Houston, 65-63, in the national championship on Monday.
Mark Pope’s Wildcats (24-12, 10-8 SEC) finished at No. 14 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll and No. 12 in the AP Top 25 Poll on Tuesday.
As a three-seed in the NCAA Tournament, Kentucky made it to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2019 before falling to second-seeded Tennessee.
The Cats were the first team in 20 years to reach the regional semifinals without a returning a player who scored a single point from the previous year.
The Wildcats started the 2024-25 season at No. 23 in both the Coaches Poll and AP Top 25.
Reach sports reporter Prince James Story at pstory@gannett.com and follow him on X at @PrinceJStory.