Rick Pitino shares a simple congratulatory message for Mark Pope and Kentucky players after win over Duke
Mark Pope has high expectations in his first year as the head coach of Kentucky men's basketball. After a big win over No. 6 Duke on Nov. 12, his former coach Rick Pitino chimed in on the result.
At State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, college basketball fans got to watch what was a back-and-forth affair between the two powerhouse programs. Even though Duke had a nine-point lead at halftime, the Wildcats outscored the Blue Devils 40-26 in the second half to win, 77-72.
Duke freshman guard Cooper Flagg had a strong performance, finishing with 26 points and 12 rebounds on 9-19 shooting from the field. However, Kentucky responded with more balance on offense, seeing six players have eight or more points.
Andrew Carr led Kentucky in scoring with 17 points, also adding five rebounds and three assists, Otega Oweh had 15 points and six rebounds, while Amari Williams finished with 10 points and eight rebounds.
Kentucky's defense was noteworthy Tuesday night. The Wildcats held Duke to under 40% shooting from the field and 17% from behind the arc.
Former Kentucky coach and current St. John's coach Rick Pitino provided his thoughts on the victory. He only needed two short sentences to say what was on his mind to congratulate Pope and the Wildcats.
"Congrats Cap. No surprise to me," Pitino said.
Mark Pope's expectations as Kentucky coach, Rick Pitino's goals at St. John's
Mark Pope is at his third head coaching destination after stints at Utah Valley and BYU.
He returned to his alma mater, where he played from 1994 to 1996, as he played for Rick Pitino and was the team captain when the program won the 1996 NCAA championship.
The Wildcats are off to a 3-0 start under Pope, beating their opponents by a combined winning margin of 74 points. The win over a talented Duke squad with multiple five-star prospects is a positive sign of things to come for Pope as he looks to bring Kentucky back to glory, the same way he got to have in 1996.
As for Pitino, he is in his second year as St. John's coach after being at Iona for three years. He went 64-22 in three seasons, making two NCAA Tournament appearances in 2021 and 2023 as he returned to the conversation as one of the best coaches in college basketball following a three-year hiatus from 2017 to 2020.
Throughout his eight-year tenure at Kentucky, he led them to a 219-50 record, six NCAA Tournament berths, and two appearances in the NCAA Championship Game where his team came out victorious in 1996.
Now that one of his former players, Mark Pope, is handling the responsibilities of leading the Wildcats, Pitino will wish him nothing but the best.