Fansided · Nov 15, 2025
Mark Pope did something unthinkable with his starters up by 40
Purdue v Kentucky | Andy Lyons/GettyImagesWith 1:30 left in a 46-point blowout, Kentucky fans saw a bizarre sight: Mark Pope checked his starting five back into the game. It was a move that had fans and media baffled. Was he trying to run up the score? Was he sending a message?
After the game, Pope was asked what he was doing. His answer was a stunning, almost unbelievable story of in-game accountability, and it proves he is not messing around.
“At the last media timeout, we had a little incident in the huddle, I’m not going to talk about that right now. Kidding, that’s a joke,” he started.
He then got dead serious.