The Kentucky Wildcats, coached by Mark Pope, just lost their first game of the 2024-25 SEC season earlier on Tuesday against the Georgia Bulldogs, 82-69. This away defeat gives the AP No. 6-ranked team their third loss overall of the campaign, bringing their record to 12-3 for the year.
During the post-game media availability, Coach Pope was visibly displeased by the result his squad suffered despite the mighty efforts from fifth-year guard Lamont Butler and sophomore Brandon Garrison. Butler dropped 20 points, along with four rebounds, three assists and four steals, while Garrison posted 13 points, five boards and four combined steals and blocks off the bench.
When asked about the offensive glass disparity between his team and their opponent, Pope agreed it was a significant factor in their loss, citing it as something they need to work on moving forward.
“It’s back-to-back games where we gave them 15 offensive rebounds, and that’s a bell we got to ring. It’s unacceptable for us, and it’s a sign of distraction. There were so many uncharacteristic plays on the court tonight, and those for us, a decision-making team, are manifestations of some distraction,” he said (Timestamp: 1:15).
“Part of it is building habits, so we’re working on that really hard. Sometimes when you start on a project, you take 10 steps backwards before you make progress, and it feels like that’s what we’ve done…Clearly, that’s a major issue for us is this glass especially in game that’s as slow-paced as this is,” he added.
Apart from the rebounding difference, Pope was also asked about the disparity in free throw attempts during the hotly-contested fixture. The 52-year-old coach quickly dismissed the notion that this was a factor in their defeat.
“That doesn’t have anything to do with this game. We leave all of that stuff. We’re working on the next play. We’re going to go control the stuff we can control, and we can control enough factors in this game to win. That will always be true. We refused to be distracted by that,” Pope stated (Timestamp: 4:10)
