Things aren’t happening the way they should in Lexington.
Every Selection Sunday, John Calipari opened his home to media and players, even during a stretch when the Wildcats hadn’t reached the Sweet 16 in five seasons. He always hosted. Last season, Mark Pope invited media to Rupp Arena to watch with family and friends. This year?
Mark Pope no shows Selection Sunday
Instead of arranging a small media gathering or a larger fan event, Mark Pope didn’t host anything this year. Sure, things are rough—the Cats endured one of the 15 worst seasons in program history—but this is still Kentucky.
The bond between the program, the players, and the coach matters. There’s no reason to simply disappear when things don’t go as hoped.
Would it have been awkward watching Kentucky claim its lowest seed in a decade? Possibly. But this move sends a signal that Pope may lack the confidence in his team that he has publicly expressed.
Across campus Kenny Brooks and the ladies hosted a great event
When Kenny Brooks realized they wouldn’t be hosting, the women’s program stepped up and hosted. That’s the standard in Lexington. Even if things go off track—maybe you’re a 7-seed, maybe you’re only a -3.5 point favorite—you’re still the head coach of Kentucky.
The only reasons I can think of are that Pope wanted to analyze what went wrong in the regular season and SEC Tournament, or it’s related to publicity for the upcoming CBS show.
It could also play into the CBS program the Cats will appear on—but if that’s the case, media could still have been invited.
That could have been communicated in advance.
Is it a big deal?
Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. But breaking a long-standing tradition raises questions. Until Pope explains, like with the Louisville incident earlier this year, all anyone can do is speculate.