Rick Pitino was gracious in defeat — when it comes to Mark Pope, at least. Pitino had plenty of praise for his former player following Kentucky’s 78-66 win over St. John’s. It was Pope’s first win over Pitino in two tries and just the fifth time Pitino has lost to a former player over the 23 matchups in his career. The win came at the perfect time for Pope, who has faced criticism over Kentucky’s struggles this season. This was the Cats’ first win over a ranked team in five tries, and comes on the heels of Kentucky’s only other “big win,” vs.
Rick Pitino says the media was too quick to judge Kentucky, praises Mark Pope's 'brilliant' coaching
