Mark Pope's message to BBN for staying patient? 'We don't believe in that.'

Kentucky fell on its face at the KFC Yum! Center, then stunk up the joint playing inside the World’s Most Famous Arena. Things could not have gone worse for the Wildcats — and Mark Pope didn’t necessarily do much to inspire confidence on the PR side of things. Oh, and the team’s starting point guard reinjured his shoulder to take him off the floor again almost immediately after coming back from the first one.

Things were not great in Lexington, and Big Blue Nation wasn’t shy about putting those gripes out in the open, most of the talk surrounding the cost of the roster as the most expensive (and underperforming) in college basketball.

The immediate pushback on those criticisms revolved around A) the date and B) injuries. How can the sky be falling in November with the team down two projected starters by the time March Madness rolls around?

Pope was quick — even at his lowest as a “terrible, terrible loser” after the Michigan State loss — to say the current product is unacceptable. No excuses.

“We need to play better. We’ve got to get better, and we will stop at nothing to get better,” he said after the Loyola (Md.) win on Friday. “And there was nothing to stop us from getting better. And we won’t sleep, we won’t eat, we won’t do anything till we get better. We’re going to get better. And that’s going to take every ounce of our soul to do it.”

But aren’t fans being a little dramatic about the 4-2 start with Kentucky still ranked inside the top 20 nationally and even No. 10 overall by KenPom with a top-12 offense and defense? Pope would argue BBN’s reaction to the team’s disappointing run to open the year is completely deserved.

Because he feels the same way.

His message to fans when it comes to staying patient?

“Oh, I don’t (have a message), because we’re not patient,” Pope said during his first call-in radio show Monday evening. “We’re not a patient fanbase. We don’t do patience. We don’t believe in that.”

It’s the same script he’s had since he first returned to Lexington as head coach in April 2024, relentless and obsessed with bringing a banner back to Rupp Arena. There is no patience that comes with that pursuit of No. 9.

And that includes regular season games in November.

“We have to go win and we’ve got to go win now,” he continued. “So I’m not trying to encourage BBN to be patient. Being patient — I’m impatient. We’re all impatient. We’ve got to go get better. That’s what we’re working to do.”

Overall, he’s optimistic while also being disappointed in the team’s start. Pope wants to make up for those losses with an incredible run the rest of the way, and he’s confident these Wildcats have what it takes — no matter what we saw against Louisville and Michigan State.

“I do believe that this team has a huge upside,” he said. “Disappointed with how we’ve kind of started this thing in those two games, for sure, but I am incredibly hopeful that we still have it in us to become a great team. That’s what we’re shooting for.”