Mark Pope isn’t hitting the panic button when it comes to Kentucky basketball’s offense - and he’s not asking anyone else to, either. While the Wildcats haven’t quite found their rhythm just yet, Pope is betting on patience, smart adjustments, and a belief that the pieces will eventually fall into place.
This week, Pope opened up about how the team has been evolving its offensive approach to better match the personnel on the floor. The emphasis?
Space - and making sure each player is operating where they feel most confident. It’s a work in progress, and Pope knows it.
He admitted the offense can look clunky and overly physical at times, but he’s not worried. That’s part of the process.
“I actually think our team really - listen, by the end of the year, I think we will be really dangerous shooting the ball,” Pope said. “I’ve never been on a team where the NOAH numbers don’t actually eventually transport their way into games. I just have never seen that.”
Translation: the shooting data in practice is telling a different story than what fans are seeing on game nights - and Pope believes it’s only a matter of time before that gap closes.
It’s not just about hitting shots, though. Pope emphasized that the biggest challenge right now is continuity.
This team is still learning how hard it needs to play to win at a high level - and how to build confidence through the little things. That confidence, once it takes root, can change everything.
And while fans might be focused on offensive flow and scoring droughts, Pope is quietly encouraged by something else: the way this group is learning to grind. They’ve had to scrap through some tough, physical games - the kind of battles that don’t always look pretty but teach you how to survive. And come March, that kind of toughness tends to matter.
“If we do this right,” Pope said, “it’s going to bode well for us when we get to the latter part of the season and the post-season.”
So, no, Kentucky’s offense isn’t firing on all cylinders just yet. But Pope sees a team that’s growing - adjusting, learning, and getting tougher by the game.
And if the shooting numbers from practice start to show up under the lights? This group could be a real problem down the stretch.