Mark Pope vows Kentucky will rebound for NCAA Tournament: 'We'll play way better than this'

Even though Florida was favored to beat Kentucky for a third time this season, the mood in Big Blue Nation after the 71-63 loss in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals isn’t great. The Gators were rusty, going 3-20 from beyond the arc and turning the ball over 18 times. The Cats cut a 17-point lead to five in the final minutes. The game was there for the taking if a few shots had gone in or if Kentucky hadn’t been manhandled on the glass (50-29!).

Still, a loss is a loss, and we’re over moral victories, especially with the NCAA Tournament just days away. Mark Pope didn’t offer any excuses for his team’s play afterward, acknowledging that they just weren’t good enough to pull off the upset.

“I thought our guys, we didn’t play well. We couldn’t make a shot. We couldn’t grab a rebound. For us, it’s the way Florida, they’re a good team. Give them some credit there. They challenge you in transition. They challenge you on the glass.

“Last game, we handled the glass, and we couldn’t handle transition. This game, we handled transition, and we couldn’t handle the glass. You have to be able to do both. You have to.”

All that said, Pope was proud of how his team refused to give up, once again whittling Florida’s double-digit lead down to two possessions at the end. To him, it bodes well for what could happen next week when the games really count.

“I thought our guys, even though we didn’t play well, you can sense your team as they’re just grinding away and trying to find answers, if their focus is present or if they’re stuck in what just happened.”

Otega Oweh finished with just 10 points on 5-18 from the field, struggling to finish at the rim or get anything to fall elsewhere on the court. Even so, he kept trying to drag the Cats back into it, just the latest example to Pope of how invaluable Oweh is to this squad.

“I thought Otega Oweh’s leadership today was on an extraordinary level. I’m telling you, I’m so proud of Otega Oweh in terms of his willingness to be present in the moment through all the frustration of the day; it bodes well.”

That’s what Pope is counting on as March Madness starts for real next week; for what it’s worth, his players had the same message in the locker room.

“If we can carry that with us, we have a chance. We’ll play way better than this. We’ll play so much better than this. I have no doubt. If we can hang on to that ability to focus for 40 minutes on just trying to find answers, we’re going to make a great run.”

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