If you skipped the postgame show, you missed Mark Pope at his absolute best. The head coach didn’t address the media until roughly 30 minutes after the final horn, and the first thing he talked about wasn’t the box score or the final score. It was the crowd — BBN.
“You guys were unbelievable tonight,” Pope said. “There isn’t a gym anywhere in this country, at any level, where we come out half an hour later and everyone is still here.”
But the highlight came when he revisited the moment that swung the game: Collin Chandler’s ice-cold three that put the Cats ahead for good.
Collin Chandler has ice in his veins
Pope posed a simple question to the fans: “Did anyone think that three from Collin Chandler wasn’t going in?”
Of course not. Chandler has been money since SEC play began — the steal against Tennessee, a steady stream of clutch buckets, and the pinpoint long pass that sealed the win in Baton Rouge. And Otega Oweh summed it up in far fewer, much stronger words.
Pope shared what was said during the timeout after Chandler buried the shot.
“My favorite moment,” Pope said, “Otega turned to Collin and said, ‘You are one cold…’ and then a lot of other words.”
You can fill in the blanks. The message was clear: Chandler doesn’t flinch.
This team is fighting for BBN
Pope didn’t sugarcoat how Kentucky is getting these wins. They aren’t always smooth, and falling behind early has become a familiar script.
“We’re making a lot of comebacks,” Pope said. “But these guys are battling. I hope you’re enjoying it. We’re far from perfect, but they’re playing for you. They want to win for you.”
Winning cures everything, but even when things go sideways, effort and fight matter to Big Blue Nation — and this team is delivering that.
The defensive adjustment that flipped the game
So how did the Cats actually get it done? Pope pointed to some schematic tweaks, but most of the credit went to Otega Oweh for changing the tone.
“We adjusted some matchups,” Pope said. “Otega was a monster defensively in the second half. He was unbelievable.”
Kentucky also adjusted its ball-screen coverage to disrupt Tennessee’s rhythm. It wasn’t flawless — “They still kind of picked us apart,” Pope admitted — but it was enough.
And right now, that’s all that matters. A win is a win.