Mark Pope is 2-0 as the head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats in Rupp Arena.
And his team hasn’t played a game yet.
Nearly six months to the day after Pope made a triumphant return to the building he once called his basketball home, the new UK coach presided over his first Big Blue Madness.
That introductory press conference back in April — two days after Pope was announced as John Calipari’s replacement — captured the spirit of Kentucky basketball and energized a fan base that had grown frustrated by the direction of their beloved program.
Rupp was filled to capacity that afternoon — and some fans were turned away at the doors — on just two days notice, 20,000 or so pouring into the home of the Wildcats to hear Pope’s vision for the future. The scene was surreal, punctuated by Pope emerging from a bus, the 1996 national championship trophy lifted high above his head as he stepped onto the Rupp Arena floor.
On Friday night, another 20,000 or so returned to the same spot.
They didn’t leave disappointed.
