Rick Pitino didn’t hold back after his team’s loss to Kentucky in Atlanta, and in true Pitino fashion, he used the postgame mic to deliver a mix of praise, analysis, and a little tough love-aimed not just at his own team, but at the broader conversation surrounding Kentucky basketball.
Let’s start with what caught his eye most: the guy who changed the game.
“I congratulate UK for the great second half,” Pitino said. “Think a big difference is the play when Jaland Lowe comes in the game, they’re a different basketball team.
He makes people better. He is very tough to guard in pick and rolls.”
That’s high praise from a coach who knows a thing or two about elite guard play. Lowe didn’t just steady the ship-he flipped the momentum.
His command in the pick-and-roll created space, opened up lanes, and forced defensive adjustments that Kentucky capitalized on. It was the kind of shift that doesn’t always show up fully in the box score but is obvious to anyone watching closely.
But Pitino didn’t stop with the on-court performance. He turned his attention to Kentucky head coach Mark Pope and the transformation he’s orchestrated this season. According to Pitino, Pope didn’t just tweak the game plan-he overhauled the team’s identity.
“I think Mark did a brilliant thing,” Pitino said. “He came into the season thinking he had this great shooting team, and it’s obvious that it’s probably just an average shooting team, and he said, ‘I’ll change the whole mindset.
We’re going to be a physical team. We’re going to be a tough team,’ and they totally changed the personality of who they are.”
That’s not a small statement. What Pitino is pointing out is a coach recognizing that the blueprint he brought into the season wasn’t going to work-and having the guts to pivot.
Kentucky’s shift from a finesse, perimeter-oriented team to a more physical, blue-collar squad has been noticeable. They’re embracing contact, crashing the glass, and grinding out possessions.
It’s not always pretty, but it’s effective.
And then came the part that fans-and maybe a few media members-will be quoting for weeks.
“I think you all need to learn a little bit of a lesson as writers because you’re expecting Kentucky to be this great basketball team with all those injuries,” Pitino said. “You can’t be a great basketball team without two of your best players, with no point guard, no big men.”
He’s not wrong. Kentucky’s early-season struggles came with key players sidelined.
Pitino made it clear: those blowout losses weren’t about effort or coaching-they were about missing “two gigantic pieces.” Now that those pieces are back in the rotation, the Wildcats are starting to look like the team many expected to see.
“So I think they’ll be a very good basketball team,” Pitino added. “They’re going to have to keep playing smashmouth basketball and play like that physical team, and I give Mark all the credit in the world.”
That’s a strong endorsement from a Hall of Fame coach. And for a Kentucky fanbase that’s been riding an emotional roller coaster since November, Pitino’s message is clear: relax.
Trust the process. Trust the coach.
The team is healthy, the identity is taking shape, and the pieces are finally in place.
Rick Pitino telling Big Blue Nation to calm down and believe in Mark Pope? That’s not a headline anyone expected this season-but it might be exactly what Kentucky needs to hear right now.