2 out of 3 coaches believe Mark Pope will have more success than Pat Kelsey

Fansided | July 20, 2025

Mark Pope and Pat Kelsey will have years to battle it out on the court, but for now Pope is believe to be ahead by his peers.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, center, posed for a photo onstage after giving Kentucky basketball coach Mark Pope and Louisville basketball coach Pat Kelsey the title of Kentucky Colonel at the 2024 Leadership Louisville Luncheon at the Kentucky International Convention Center in downtown Louisville on Wednesday, August 28, 2024. | Jeff Faughender/Courier Journal & USA Today Network / USA TODAY NETWORK

In a recent CBS Sports poll of anonymous college basketball coaches, one question struck right at the heart of a rivalry already simmering beneath the surface: who will be more successful, Kentucky’s Mark Pope or Louisville’s Pat Kelsey?