The Mark Pope-Pat Kelsey fight rumor is further proof the Kentucky-Louisville rivalry is BACK

Did Mark Pope and Pat Kelsey really fight each other outside Tay Kinney‘s apartment? That’s the rumor sweeping the Bluegrass right now. The word “fight” is likely an exaggeration, but even if the two simply had a verbal spat, as a source told Jacob Polacheck, the story is juicy and further proof that the Kentucky vs. Louisville rivalry is so back.

“Per my sources, Pope was set to meet with Kinney at midnight that first night that coaches could meet with players, and Kelsey was supposed to meet with him shortly afterwards,” Polacheck said on KSR Happy Hour. “I was told that Pope was running late to the meeting and Kelsey was already there, so Kelsey decided to go in, start his meeting Tay Kinney and I was told Pope was upset. There were some words exchanged. I was told it’s an exaggeration to say they nearly came to blows, but there was definitely some animosity between the two.”

The alleged encounter took place on the night of September 2, the start of the recruiting period. Two weeks later, Pope joked about his friendship with Kelsey, whom he has said he loves on several occasions, during The Field of 68’s live show at Kentucky’s practice.

“We need some more hatred between you and Kelsey,” Jeff Goodman quipped while talking about the Kentucky vs. Louisville rivalry.

“You don’t understand the level of hatred that we have for each other,” Pope deadpanned. “I mean, this Pat Kelsey — have you been in his room? He has pictures of me, just throwing darts.”

Pope laughed and went on to talk about how good it is for college basketball that both Kentucky and Louisville are trending up, which is true, but it’s also true that stories like this are good for the rivalry. Even if exaggerated, the rivalry needs more rivalry. This is the same series that two 70-year-old men threw punches over in a dialysis clinic back in 2012. In the decade-plus since, it’s mostly been a one-sided affair, Kentucky winning eleven games to Louisville’s three. Even though Kentucky won the first matchup of the Pope-Kelsey era last season, there was a scuffle between the players, which Pope dove into to help break up, inadvertently putting Kelsey into a headlock, a screenshot that’s been making the rounds today.

This year’s game should be the best between the two sides in years. Both Kentucky and Louisville are preseason top ten teams, the Cards No. 6 and the Cats No. 7 in The Field of 68’s latest rankings. Mark Pope reloaded Kentucky’s roster with one of the biggest budgets in college basketball; Kelsey wasn’t far behind. The Cats boast preseason SEC Player of the Year favorite Otega Oweh, while the Cards have Mikel Brown Jr., one of the most hyped freshmen in the country. The game takes place in Louisville, over a month earlier than usual, on November 11, just the third game of the season. With 54 days to go, both Pope and Kelsey, considered two of college basketball’s “nice guys,” will inevitably be asked about the spat; even if they’ve hugged it out, I hope some of the animosity lingers.

Ironically, neither Kentucky nor Louisville is perceived to be the frontrunner for Kinney, who will announce his decision on September 28; however, whatever took place outside that apartment a few weeks ago just became kindling for a fire that’s needed stoking for far too long.

For more details on the encounter, read Polacheck’s article on KSR+ and Jeff Goodman’s thread on On3’s new College Basketball Board. You can also hear us talk about it on KSR Happy Hour.

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