Kentucky basketball doesn’t need Santa to bring a five-star down the chimney. It needs something harder to buy this time of year.
It just needs to be normal.
Not “everything goes perfectly” normal. Just “please let me stop holding my breath every time someone grabs a shoulder” normal.
Because if you’re Mark Pope, this season has already taught you something you can’t unlearn. The roster is good enough to scare people, but it’s also one rolled ankle away from turning every possession into a survival drill.
Mark Pope needs Kentucky basketball to stay healthy
This is the one that matters more than any schematic tweak or lineup wrinkle.