Are road denims coming for Kentucky? Pope: 'I actually don't know' -- but Otega Oweh is interested

Everything about Kentucky‘s win over Tennessee was an overwhelming success for Big Blue Nation, ranging from the Devin Booker sneaker release and pop-up Book 2 Fair event to the 1996 reunion to the denim throwback uniforms to the performance itself with the Wildcats storming back from down 14 to earn the season sweep. All of it went well and left the most passionate fanbase in college basketball wanting more.

Well, it’s gonna be hard to recreate that day, but the program can keep the nostalgia rolling by wearing the denim jerseys the rest of the way, just as the ’96 team did on its way to a national championship. That’s exactly what Mark Pope said at the podium with his old teammates telling him they want to see them stick with the look until UK loses a game — assuming there is another loss, which the second-year coach doesn’t want spoken into existence.

“Yeah, so there was some conversation with you guys, right?” Pope asked the former Wildcats. “Somebody was saying we have to wear them every game now? … Now, wait, why are we talking about losing? Why are we talking about losing?”

Superstar guard Otega Oweh agreed with his coach’s former teammates, telling Pope that he wants to keep the good vibes going throughout the season with the denim, even if it means making them the permanent home uniforms.

“For sure, I told Coach Pope we gotta keep wearing these unis — or at least make these the home ones or something,” he added. “I really like these uniforms, they’re cool.”

Thing is, there’s a pretty important road matchup this weekend against No. 14 Florida in Gainesville. And we know the solid blue denim uniforms were a part of that ’96 championship team’s journey, too. If you’re gonna honor that historic group, you gotta go all in with it, right?

Should we expect to see a new-and-improved road set against the Gators?

“I actually don’t know the answer to that question,” Pope said during his call-in radio show Monday evening.

Tom Leach’s response? “Well, we’ll find out Saturday.”

That’s for another day — four away, to be specific. Until then, Pope is just excited that the initial denim uniform rollout was a success and his team’s play matched the look.

Seeing them on for the very first time brought him back three decades, feeling the exact same way he did when he tested them out in February of 1996.

“How good did those uniforms look? My goodness,” he said. “When I walked in the locker room — so we will go meet 12 minutes before the game. We kind of changed our schedule, so we got rid of our 40-minute meeting. We go meet at 12 (minutes), and by that time, all the guys have changed, because it’s the last time they’re going out on the court before the game.

“I walked in and the guys were all in their denim uniforms, I kid you not. It was so deja vu, like it kind of was trippy to me when I walked in there. It was very cool for me. The crazy thing about those uniforms is nobody liked them when they came out. Nobody. But now, I’ve got such a love for that look. It’s very cool.”

Hopefully it leads to a similar March and early April.