"I was like, 'I'm gonna make you go'": Mark Pope unveils pre-game strategy of taking Kentucky players to 'Hamilton' before Ohio State clash
Before coach Mark Pope and the No. 4 Kentucky Wildcats faced off with the Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday, they did some sightseeing during their trip to New York. One of the things they did was watch well-renowned Broadway musical Hamilton.
Pope reflected on the experience of seeing the critically acclaimed play in person, getting his team to experience the musical before getting ready for the game. The team was in New York because they were scheduled to play at Madison Square Garden, a neutral venue, for their matchup with the Buckeyes.
Nonetheless, Pope saw it as a great way for him and the team to bond together over something that might not be the most popular within the group.
"It was awesome. I do leave most of the itinerary decision-making up to the guys -- and, on this one, we took a vote a week ago, and the guys were like ..." Pope said before making a sound that indicated a lack of enthusiasm for the arts from his players. "And I was like, 'I'm gonna make you go,'" Pope said (per CBS Sports).
"Afterward, I told them, I said, 'OK, guys, on the Misery Index, 10 being the most miserable, one being the least,' And the highest score I got was a four. Which is incredible. You never have a group of guys that doesn't have some haters in it. Ever. But this group doesn't. It's just good dudes."
How things went for Mark Pope, Kentucky against Ohio State
Despite Mark Pope's efforts to bond with the team off the court, it didn't do much on the hardwood as the No. 4 Wildcats suffered an 85-65 upset loss to Ohio State.
The Buckeyes had a majority of the momentum throughout the course of the game, shooting 56.6% from the field and 26.7% from beyond the arc. On the other hand, Kentucky struggled to make their shots at a clip of 29.8% overall and 18.2% from downtown.
For the Buckeyes, Bruce Thornton stood out with a game-high 30 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field. Three players scored in double-digits for the Wildcats, with Otega Oweh leading the way with 21 points but scored 13 of them at the charity stripe due to a poor shooting night of 4-of-13 from the field.
Mark Pope and No. 4 Kentucky (10-2) will have one more game to close out 2024, hosting Brown at the Rupp Arena on Dec. 31 at 2 p.m. ET.