Mark Pope prides himself on high-scoring offenses, but it’s unclear just how far that alone can take a team in the SEC. In an appearance on The Field of 68, Pope dove into his biggest concern with this year’s Kentucky team, and it may have the Big Blue Nation feeling weary about SEC competition.
“Everybody in college basketball has gotten so big and physical… That’s not us right now,” Pope began. “We are long, fast, and skilled… We have some togetherness that’s going to translate to toughness for us, but we’re going to be challenged in terms of brute strength and physicality.”
Not exactly what Cats fans want to hear, especially at this late stage in the offseason. Pope also made sure to note his team’s shooting ability, but again, will that be enough when Florida is bigger and stronger than Kentucky in positions three through five?
Kentucky is Looking for a Toughness Antidote This Offseason
We won’t know until the Gators and Wildcats butt heads in… March. Okay, we’ll probably see this issue come to a head before then. But Pope and his Wildcats may be able to avoid it entirely depending on how the rest of this offseason pans out…