Mark Pope makes CBS Sports' Coach Rankings -- but not as high as you might think

You’d be hard-pressed to find a Kentucky fan who doesn’t love the job that Mark Pope has done so far in Lexington. In his first season as head coach, Pope took Kentucky back to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019, tied an NCAA record for most wins over AP Top 15 teams in a season, and reenergized a weary fanbase. So, naturally, as a Kentucky fan, when I saw that CBS Sports ranked the Top 25 (and 1) coaches in college basketball, I didn’t think I’d have to scroll far to see Pope’s name. He’s there, but not as high as you might think.

Pope comes in at No. 16 on the list. At first, I thought that was too low, but the top 15 is stacked with some pretty big names with pretty big accomplishments. Dan Hurley and his back-to-back titles at UConn are No. 1, followed by Kelvin Sampson (Houston), Rick Pitino (St. John’s), Bill Self (Kansas), and Matt Painter (Purdue). Nate Oats is the highest-ranked coach from the SEC, coming in at No. 6, followed by Todd Golden, who just won a title at Florida at age 39; Tom Izzo, now in his 31st year at Michigan State; Gonzaga’s Mark Few; and Scott Drew at Baylor.

The five coaches ranked ahead of Mark Pope? Jon Scheyer, who took Duke to the Final Four last year; Dusty May, who took FAU there in 2023 before going to Michigan; Rick Barnes, who has yet to make the Final Four as Tennessee’s coach (he got there with Texas in 2003); John Calipari; and Arizona’s Tommy Lloyd. All of those coaches have more experience — and results — than Pope, who just won his first NCAA Tournament game last season. The CBS Sports panel sees a bright future ahead of him.

16. Mark Pope, Kentucky

Pope shepherded a hastily constructed and hobbled roster to the Sweet 16 in his first season and endeared himself to Wildcats fans with eight wins over top-15 opposition. It was a strong start for the former BYU coach. Pope is one of the sport’s premier offensive tacticians and has all the resources and energy required to continue rising through the ranks in the years to come.

Pope is one of three coaches making their first appearance in the rankings. Iowa’s Ben McCollum is No. 26 and Pat Kelsey comes in at No. 20 after his first season at Louisville. At least the panel didn’t rank him ahead of Pope, or we’d really have to get the pitchforks out.

Calipari fell from No. 10 to No. 14 in the rankings this year after his first season at Arkansas, which ended with a Sweet 16 appearance. The panel admitted that “his fastball is fading,” but Calipari still has a knack for assembling talent. Calipari won the first matchup vs. Pope at Kentucky in February. Hopefully, Pope can return the favor this season in Fayetteville to even the score.

Check it all out over at CBS Sports. Knowing Pope, he’s probably trying to manipulate the No. 16 into a No. 9 right now. 1 + 6 = 7, which is two integers away from 9…