KENTUCKY HC MARK POPE OFFICIAL POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE:
*****
KENTUCKY HC MARK POPE UK RADIO NETWORK Q&A:
* Struggling to figure things out right now, trying to find some remedies, and we were wildly unsuccessful in the first half.
* On the good effort in the second half, but why the lack of effort in the first half? We're hemorrhaging right now in about 10 different areas. We're not executing any of our fundamental defensive concepts, and sometimes it's hard to figure out why that is. We've got to fix it.
* Asked what he said to the team at halftime, Pope said they tried to keep it composed, sometimes it can get emotional and it prevents you from getting a result. Kept it focused on the schematics of what we needed to do.
* On why they didn't throw any different looks at Ole Miss... Kinda scrambles for an answer, does not offer one. At the end of the day, we need a fundamental, core defense. Guarding the 3-point line has been an issue of late where it wasn't previously. That's concerning. It's up to me to get guys to get better there. I believe in these guys. I think they'll respond.
* Pope sounds emotional. Biting his tongue a lot. You can tell he's not telling Tom everything he might like to. "We're in a hard space right now, but we'll find our way out of it somehow."
* Our guys didn't walk away. That's important. That has to be a standard of our program.
* We're in a tough spot right now, and it's unacceptable. We have to look inward and find answers. There's nothing more to say other than I believe in this group, even with the renovated roster.
*****
KENTUCKY HC MARK POPE UK RADIO NETWORK Q&A:
* Struggling to figure things out right now, trying to find some remedies, and we were wildly unsuccessful in the first half.
* On the good effort in the second half, but why the lack of effort in the first half? We're hemorrhaging right now in about 10 different areas. We're not executing any of our fundamental defensive concepts, and sometimes it's hard to figure out why that is. We've got to fix it.
* Asked what he said to the team at halftime, Pope said they tried to keep it composed, sometimes it can get emotional and it prevents you from getting a result. Kept it focused on the schematics of what we needed to do.
* On why they didn't throw any different looks at Ole Miss... Kinda scrambles for an answer, does not offer one. At the end of the day, we need a fundamental, core defense. Guarding the 3-point line has been an issue of late where it wasn't previously. That's concerning. It's up to me to get guys to get better there. I believe in these guys. I think they'll respond.
* Pope sounds emotional. Biting his tongue a lot. You can tell he's not telling Tom everything he might like to. "We're in a hard space right now, but we'll find our way out of it somehow."
* Our guys didn't walk away. That's important. That has to be a standard of our program.
* We're in a tough spot right now, and it's unacceptable. We have to look inward and find answers. There's nothing more to say other than I believe in this group, even with the renovated roster.
