The improbable comeback stories for Mark Pope and this Kentucky Basketball team are becoming absurd. Saturday night was just another example of lightning striking for this roster again as they took down the Tennessee Volunteers 74-71.
In fact, it was about the best example imaginable in terms of historical victories at Rupp Arena.
Corey Price confirmed that this was Kentucky’s largest come-from-behind win in the second half (14 points) in the history of Rupp Arena.
Making the night even more special
was the 1996 NCAA Championship Wildcats were present to celebrate both their title and a near-miraculous win vs. the Vols, all while the school revived its denim uniforms.
And to make things taste even sweeter, the epic result happened against one of the least favored opponents in the Commonwealth. If that wasn’t enough, this marked the second time that Rick Barnes’ group has blown a big lead only to suffer a devastating loss to a Mark Pope-coached team with only a few weeks of separation between the two.
The Cats now sit at 8-3 in conference play, and when they aren’t getting down 14 points, playing some of the best basketball in spurts that we’ve seen all year. Not many people pegged this squad to be in the driver’s seat of the SEC after their well-documented struggles. Props to the staff for keeping the focus on winning and not the outside noise.
Mark Pope and his players will get what feels like a much-needed break before taking on Florida next Saturday, Feb. 14th, on the road in Gainesville. The game will tip off at 3 PM on ABC.
It’s a big one.
