WATCH: Mark Pope's pre-Wright State press conference

A new era of Kentucky men’s basketball officially begins early next week. The No. 23 Wildcats will host Wright State on Monday night — the first real game of Mark Pope‘s tenure as head coach of the program.

To tune us up for what’s in store with the season-opener, Pope spoke with reporters on Thursday afternoon to give us the inside scoop. He talked plenty about preparing for Wright State, particularly focusing on Horizon League Preseason Player of the Year recipient Brandon Noel, a 6-foot-10 stretch forward from Ohio. Pope also touched on the injury status of center Amari Williams, why offensive rebounding is of huge importance for his team, giving shooters the green light, and much more.

You can hear everything Pope had to say in his 21-minute press conference below. Kentucky and Wright State will battle it out on Monday night in Rupp Arena at 7:00 p.m. EST on ESPNU.

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