"John Calipari would never lol": NCAAB fans roast ex-Kentucky HC after Mark Pope’s eerie prediction of Cooper Flagg’s moves goes viral
Mark Pope has been working his magic well in his maiden season as Kentucky's new head coach. A clip from Kentucky's major win over No. 6 Duke on Nov. 12 has impressed college basketball fans, in which Pope displayed his immense experience and basketball IQ.
During a timeout, Pope explained his plan to handle the Blue Devils' top recruit, Cooper Flagg. He wanted his players to work on an iso to trap Flagg, which would help them steal the ball off the talented forward and work a play to give the Wildcats an advantage.
"If I get Cooper on an iso. We're coming and we're rotating down. Go two hands and take the ball. If Cooper goes to work and spins, we'll have a body there to take the ball," said Pope.
With 15 seconds to go in the second half and the score tied at 72-72, the Wildcats worked Pope's play to perfection. After Andrew Carr put pressure on Flagg, Oklahoma transfer Otega Oweh nicked the ball off the Blue Devils freshman and drew a foul at the other end within seconds.
He made both free throws to put the Wildcats ahead by two, and they finished the game 77-72 winners. Pope's clever tactic won college basketball fans over, who took to social media to express their opinions.
Some of them took a dig at former Kentucky head coach John Calipari, believing he wouldn't have thought of a similar plan to take care of Flagg.
"Calipari would never lol," said one fan.
"See, Kentucky? See what having a real coach does?" said another.
Another fan added, "Kentucky hasn’t seen on the spot in game coaching like this in a long time."
Other fans were simply awestruck by Pope's genius, showing appreciation for the Wildcats head coach.
"High-level scouting and EXECUTION," said one fan.
"UK fanbase doesn’t truly know how intelligent Mark Pope is. It’s even deeper than what we all thought. This is just the tip of the iceberg," said another.
Another fan added, "Mark Pope should be the early favorite for coach of the year imo."
Kentucky make major strides in AP Top 25 under Mark Pope
The Wildcats' victory over Duke gave Mark Pope and his side a huge boost in confidence. In the latest update of the AP Top 25, the Wildcats were the biggest winners, making a massive 10-place jump to ninth place.
The Wildcats will return to the Rupp Arena to take on the Lipscomb Bisons on Nov. 20 at 7PM ET.