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A fairly in-depth look at Mark Pope's record while at BYU.

C

crawfords corner

All-American
Jul 9, 2004
43,369
34,114
113
Conference: West Coast Conference
5th season as a college basketball coach
Took over for Dave Rose after BYU went 19-13.


1st year record(2019-2020) 24-8. Ranked as high as 14. Finished AP at 18
1-2 against ranked teams(these are AP ranked at time they played). Lost to Kansas. Split with Gonzaga
Other wins: Houston, Virginia Tech, UCLA
Lost: St. Mary's in 1st round of WCC tournament.



2nd year record(2020-2021). 20-7. 2nd straight finish behind Gonzaga. Highest/Final ranking 23rd.
1-3 against ranked teams. Beat SDSU. Lost to Gonzaga 3 times
Other wins: St. Johns, Utah State
NCAA Tournament: lost to UCLA in 1st round


3rd year record(2021-2022) 24-11. Finished 5th in conference. Ranked as high as 12th but was out of rankings by mid-December
1-2 against ranked teams. Beat Oregon. Lost to Gonzaga twice.
Lost in 3rd round of NIT to Washington St.



4th year record(2022-2023). 19-15. Finished 5th in WCC
1-6 against ranked teams. Beat: 21 Creighton. Lost 3x to St. Mary's, 2x to Gonzaga, SDSU
Postseason: Lost to St. Mary's in conference championship game


5th season record(2023-2024). 23-11. 5th in Big 12
4-5 against ranked teams. Beat: SDSU, ISU, Baylor, and Kansas. Also beat NC State who went on that miraculous run b4 losing to Edey
Postseason: Lost to Texas Tech in B12 conference and then Duquesne in the NCAAT.


BYU record: 110-52 for 67.9%. 8-18 versus ranked teams.
Overall: 187-108.
1st season in his career is his only losing record. 2nd season they finished .500.



Utah Valley..... 0-4 against ranked teams including a 10 point loss at Rupp. Also, his nemesis, Gonzaga, beat him here as well.

Pope lost 9 times to ranked Gonzaga. 1-9. Non-Gonzaga ranked teams 7-9. 4 of those 9 came against St. Mary's. Against non-WCC ranked teams Pope is 7-5.


BYU points per game under Mark Pope

19/20: 13th(79.6pts)
20/21: 37th(78.1 pts)
21/22: 88th(74.3 pts)
22/23: 86th(75.5 pts)
23/24: 22nd(81.1 pts)


BYU defense points allowed per game under Mark Pope

19/20: 148th best(68.4pts)
20/21: 126th(68.6 pts)
21/22: 151st(68.3 pts)
22/23: 171st(69.9 pts)
23/24: 111th(69.9 pts)
 
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crawfords corner said:
Conference: West Coast Conference
5th season as a college basketball coach
Took over for Dave Rose after BYU went 19-13.


1st year record(2019-2020) 24-8. Ranked as high as 14. Finished AP at 18
1-2 against ranked teams(these are AP ranked at time they played). Lost to Kansas. Split with Gonzaga
Other wins: Houston, Virginia Tech, UCLA
Lost: St. Mary's in 1st round of WCC tournament.



2nd year record(2020-2021). 20-7. 2nd straight finish behind Gonzaga. Highest/Final ranking 23rd.
1-3 against ranked teams. Beat SDSU. Lost to Gonzaga 3 times
Other wins: St. Johns, Utah State
NCAA Tournament: lost to UCLA in 1st round


3rd year record(2021-2022) 24-11. Finished 5th in conference. Ranked as high as 12th but was out of rankings by mid-December
1-2 against ranked teams. Beat Oregon. Lost to Gonzaga twice.
Lost in 3rd round of NIT to Washington St.



4th year record(2022-2023). 19-15. Finished 5th in WCC
1-6 against ranked teams. Beat: 21 Creighton. Lost 3x to St. Mary's, 2x to Gonzaga, SDSU
Postseason: Lost to St. Mary's in conference championship game


5th season record(2023-2024). 23-11. 5th in Big 12
4-5 against ranked teams. Beat: SDSU, ISU, Baylor, and Kansas. Also beat NC State who went on that miraculous run b4 losing to Edey
Postseason: Lost to Texas Tech in B12 conference and then Duquesne in the NCAAT.


BYU record: 110-52 for 67.9%. 8-18 versus ranked teams.
Overall: 187-108.
1st season in his career is his only losing record. 2nd season they finished .500.



Utah Valley..... 0-4 against ranked teams including a 10 point loss at Rupp. Also, his nemesis, Gonzaga, beat him here as well.

Pope lost 9 times to ranked Gonzaga. 1-9. Non-Gonzaga ranked teams 7-9. 4 of those 9 came against St. Mary's. Against non-WCC ranked teams Pope is 7-5.


BYU points per game under Mark Pope

19/20: 13th(79.6pts)
20/21: 37th(78.1 pts)
21/22: 88th(74.3 pts)
22/23: 86th(75.5 pts)
23/24: 22nd(81.1 pts)


BYU defense points allowed per game under Mark Pope

19/20: 148th best(68.4pts)
20/21: 126th(68.6 pts)
21/22: 151st(68.3 pts)
22/23: 171st(69.9 pts)
23/24: 111th(69.9 pts)
Click to expand...
Figured the D would be ugly.
 
Im just hear to say I knew he coached at byu the mormon school. I didnt know Mark Pope is Mormon. If he brings looney toon rules here this could end terribly. Im genuinely worried about this
 
Yeah, there is no chance he'll do better at UK than his previous stops. Of course, most of our other coaches did but Pope is so obviously one of the worst coaches ever. I highly recommend most on this thread to not watch any Pope coached UK games. Why would you watch a team you know is going to be terrible? I hear Arkansas is going to be great next year and they need some fans.
 
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ukfan1622 said:
Yeah, there is no chance he'll do better at UK than his previous stops. Of course, most of our other coaches did but Pope is so obviously one of the worst coaches ever. I highly recommend most on this thread to not watch any Pope coached UK games. Why would you watch a team you know is going to be terrible? I hear Arkansas is going to be great next year and they need some fans.
Click to expand...
So you think UK will be good next season?There is a thing called facing reality.Even if you are happy with the hire do you really think it will be fine next season?
 
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crawfords corner said:
Conference: West Coast Conference
5th season as a college basketball coach
Took over for Dave Rose after BYU went 19-13.


1st year record(2019-2020) 24-8. Ranked as high as 14. Finished AP at 18
1-2 against ranked teams(these are AP ranked at time they played). Lost to Kansas. Split with Gonzaga
Other wins: Houston, Virginia Tech, UCLA
Lost: St. Mary's in 1st round of WCC tournament.



2nd year record(2020-2021). 20-7. 2nd straight finish behind Gonzaga. Highest/Final ranking 23rd.
1-3 against ranked teams. Beat SDSU. Lost to Gonzaga 3 times
Other wins: St. Johns, Utah State
NCAA Tournament: lost to UCLA in 1st round


3rd year record(2021-2022) 24-11. Finished 5th in conference. Ranked as high as 12th but was out of rankings by mid-December
1-2 against ranked teams. Beat Oregon. Lost to Gonzaga twice.
Lost in 3rd round of NIT to Washington St.



4th year record(2022-2023). 19-15. Finished 5th in WCC
1-6 against ranked teams. Beat: 21 Creighton. Lost 3x to St. Mary's, 2x to Gonzaga, SDSU
Postseason: Lost to St. Mary's in conference championship game


5th season record(2023-2024). 23-11. 5th in Big 12
4-5 against ranked teams. Beat: SDSU, ISU, Baylor, and Kansas. Also beat NC State who went on that miraculous run b4 losing to Edey
Postseason: Lost to Texas Tech in B12 conference and then Duquesne in the NCAAT.


BYU record: 110-52 for 67.9%. 8-18 versus ranked teams.
Overall: 187-108.
1st season in his career is his only losing record. 2nd season they finished .500.



Utah Valley..... 0-4 against ranked teams including a 10 point loss at Rupp. Also, his nemesis, Gonzaga, beat him here as well.

Pope lost 9 times to ranked Gonzaga. 1-9. Non-Gonzaga ranked teams 7-9. 4 of those 9 came against St. Mary's. Against non-WCC ranked teams Pope is 7-5.


BYU points per game under Mark Pope

19/20: 13th(79.6pts)
20/21: 37th(78.1 pts)
21/22: 88th(74.3 pts)
22/23: 86th(75.5 pts)
23/24: 22nd(81.1 pts)


BYU defense points allowed per game under Mark Pope

19/20: 148th best(68.4pts)
20/21: 126th(68.6 pts)
21/22: 151st(68.3 pts)
22/23: 171st(69.9 pts)
23/24: 111th(69.9 pts)
Click to expand...
Something is wrong in your information. First, his loss to SMC in 2019-‘20 was not in the first round of the conference tournament. BYU had a double by based on regular season rankings, which the WCC provides single and double bys for the conference tournament. Second, they couldn’t have lost to SMC in the 2022-‘23 conference tournament title game, because Gonzaga has made the title game for all of the last 20 years.

Other notable thoughts you’d be forgiven for not knowing as a fan of a blue blood not watching the comings and goings of our conference: their win over Oregon in 2021-‘22 was over an Oregon team that was heralded in the preseason but ended up having an atrocious season.
 
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ZagsVisitor said:
Something is wrong in your information. First, his loss to SMC in 2019-‘20 was not in the first round of the conference tournament. BYU had a double by based on regular season rankings, which the WCC provides single and double bys for the conference tournament. Second, they couldn’t have lost to SMC in the 2022-‘23 conference tournament title game, because Gonzaga has made the title game for all of the last 20 years.

Other notable thoughts you’d be forgiven for not knowing as a fan of a blue blood not watching the comings and goings of our conference: their win over Oregon in 2021-‘22 was over an Oregon team that was heralded in the preseason but ended up having an atrocious season.
Click to expand...

Yea, it was hard to tell from baskeball-reference so I appreciate the corrections. As for Oregon, I did mention under 1st season record that these were against teams that were ranked at the time that they played them. His record against ranked teams almost certainly is different if I only went to end of season rankings. Not a lot different, but I'd have to look at how teams finished this season to adjust the B12 record.
 
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UKWildcats1987 said:
It's also interesting to note the coach before him had a 72% winning percentage compared to popes 67%.
Click to expand...

Some of those seasons were spent in the MWC. So, yes, it is true that he won 72% of his games while at BYU. When they switched to the WCC they went 189-90 which is 67.7%.
 
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One thing in life we should know, when it’s do or die backs against the wall, great things can come from it because you have to be alert , focused and fight like crazy to have any chance at success.

I know most of you have no faith or trust in this, hell my logic brain says it’s 30% chance at success but there is zero chance at success if we don’t throw all the love and any help we can give …. At least until on the court he shows cal like coaching mistakes and we know it can’t work for sure.

I’m not asking to be stupid and predict we will be amazing. I’m just asking for everyone to be more constructive and try to focus on what he and we need to do moving forward to make this thing work
 
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I'm going to be interested and somewhat excited to see how (if) this crew pulls together.

For all of us the team is greater than the parts fans, this will be a great test.
 
Does BYU have a second to none practice facility? Does BYU have the Wildcat Lodge? Is BYU on TV like UK? And what about the resources that cant be bought or built like the BBN. Look fellas Mark Pope has falling into the job that put him in coaching. He has found the goose with the golden egg and he knows the way to keep it is to win and be honest with the fans. Its called profit sharing and we all own a part of what this will become. The BBN is real and we are hated for it but we now have a coach that talks it but has also lived it at the highest level. When he says it our team, its kentuckys team he means it. We are lucky to have him IMHO.
 
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Skyguyb27 said:
So basically as long as we don’t play a ranked team we will be 500.
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No. With only 9 guys on the roster he already has much more talent here than he's had in his best seasons at BYU. Just who are you people who expect any coach to turn Utah Valley State or BYU into powerhouses with winning records against ranked teams? You really think it's as easy to win at those places as it is at UK?
 
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I said it in another thread, but this UK team that Pope has assembled has way more talent and athleticism than any team he's ever had before (not that that's an original thought. I'm just saying). On BYU's team, Robinson was far and away the best player.

I don't believe that'll be the case if he comes here. Robinson might be the best all-around scorer if he ends up a Cat, but there are other pieces on the roster that, in my opinion, will be just as indispensable.

Blockers, passers, and defenders. We've got them all. It's fun to look back and see how terrified we were when news broke that we'd gotten Pope. Time will tell if our 180° switch was premature.

Here's to Pope's success this coming season and all his coaching seasons to come. 🍻
 
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billoliver40 said:
I'm going to be interested and somewhat excited to see how (if) this crew pulls together.

For all of us the team is greater than the parts fans, this will be a great test.
Click to expand...
It is funny looking back how many of the regulars on here have turned their opinions around real quick lol.
 
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We have an actual coach and real talent. Maybe not the best of the best talent, but very good already, in year one. Lots of factors in how this team's record will end up but the system is sound and will get better with the right pieces. Banners take a lot of everything but ya can't dismiss luck being one of them. I think with the program, the coach/system and NIL money...we're a real contender by year three and with some luck, maybe sooner. The team we already have is nothing to sneeze at.
 
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I think the biggest issue with this team will be athleticism. Maybe Pope’s scheme is so good that other elite coaches have no idea how to defend it? It’s possible, I just think they have athletic deficiencies that will show up vs elite teams. Their best athletes are defenders but not very good offensively, their best scorers are not great defenders and not very athletic, it’s gonna take masterful coaching to beat the upper echelon squads. I mean you can only play 5 at a time, so trying to mix and match scoring/defending is gonna be a challenge.

I think they’ll probably struggle some early while they figure it out, but get better later in the season as they get their rotation worked out. Hard part about coaching a team where everybody is basically on the same level is that it’ll be a guess to try and figure out who will be best on that particular night. Sometimes it doesn’t matter how good a coach you are you’re just gonna guess wrong.

I figure they’ll be middle of the pack (5-8 range) in the SEC, and probably an 8 seed in the tourney, but could be really hot toward the end and make a mini run. Best case scenario in that circumstance is round of 32, just because of their initial seed and potential second round matchup against the #1 seed.

Obviously that’s just a guess, God only knows how the season plays out, but based on the current roster that seems like a fair assessment. Now if they can get a higher seed, they’ll be able to beat the 4-5 seeds, that are more athletic but not both skilled and athletic, so if they can figure it out earlier than I expect maybe they can make a sweet 16 type run, but it really comes down to match ups. They will be able to out scheme some teams that are “better”, but to ask the staff to do that night after night, is a big ask.

I do think long term once they see how this initial group does they will be able to adjust recruiting strategies to make the necessary improvements. While trying to avoid OAD’s, you’ve got a lot of OAD’s, so the roster will turn over quite a bit again next year but with the staff having an entire year to evaluate the task, they’ll most likely improve and keep getting closer to the right mix.
 
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This style of offense is hard to defend and defense will win a lot of games with this team. We're way better than Pitino's first team..or second. Just think how unathletic the "Unforgettables" really were to go .500 with their schedule.

I agree that we just don't know a lot of things that are huge difference makers with a team put together so fast without any time together. That can go either way but our defense should be solid early with these guys. The system is complicated so it'll take them some time but we have a player or two that knows the system already. BIG plus right there.

At this point we're all guessing but I'd say we are at worst, a 10 loss team and 2nd in the sec but we peak at the right time. We'll see. We have potential to be better than that if they gel and pick things up fast but I think 10 losses is floor level with what we have already. With our shooters and potential defense, we have a puncher's chance against most anybody.
 
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Just now looking at this post. What a bunch of negative Nancy’s we had a couple of weeks ago.

Anyway. Pope went 24-8 and was a top 25 team in his first year. Were they on some probation from Rose’s issues there? 24-8 and ranked should have gotten them at least a 5 or 6 seed in the tourney.
 
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Skyguyb27 said:
I say UK will compete for the SEC champs and make a tourney run in March. For the Cal followers, that’s where you win the first game and continue in the tournament.
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This! I think we compete for the SEC title and make a deep run this season. We haven’t had this much experience since Tubby was here. Also, these are quality basketball players, across the board.
 
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Cowtown Cat said:
This! I think we compete for the SEC title and make a deep run this season. We haven’t had this much experience since Tubby was here. Also, these are quality basketball players, across the board.
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We'll have it all if we add two guys from the Poplar, Lanier, Richmond, Robinson quartet. If we only add one, we'll still be really good.

Defensively, I'm not sure how much people truly understand how good we're going to be. Garrison, Carr, and Williams played a combined 77 minutes last year, which is comparable to what they'll get in the rotation this year. In that amount of time, they collectively averaged 4.8 blocks per game.

This next UK team will block around 6 to 7 shots/game when it's all said and done, and that will put them near the top shot blocking teams nationally.

Factor in perimeter defense in the form of Butler, Oweh, and possibly Robinson and you have the makings of a top 10 defense nationally. If you read what BYU fans said about Robinson, it's clear they considered him their top on-the-ball defender last season.

All we need at this point is a guy who can get buckets at the end of the game.

You get Lanier, and you have a Final Four team.
 
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All in all, no matter the excitement, it's a huge risk of a hire. He answered the first bell by hiring recruiting guys, which was obviously an area he had no experience. He potentially answered another bell by getting defense in the portal.

Now we'll see how he handles melding egos, especially with nil, player expectations, and inevitable adversity.

I hope he does well because I love his attitude and refocus on the program.
 
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People keep receipts, the unrealistic expectations will lead to negativity when these words are being thrown back in your face. I’d consider tempering expectations some.
 
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bookerfan66 said:
So you think UK will be good next season?There is a thing called facing reality.Even if you are happy with the hire do you really think it will be fine next season?
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I do. He's put together a team that has interior defense and rebounding(huge 4/5 improvement), perimeter defense, and great three point shooting and the roster isn't complete. He's got a lot better talent already than he had last year at BYU and the SEC is not tougher than the Big 12. Yes, UK will be good next year.
 
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