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Kentucky fans unleashed their rage on coach Mark Pope after the No. 14-ranked Wildcats lost to No. 25 Ole Miss 98-84 on Tuesday at the SJB Pavilion in Oxford, Mississippi. It was the second straight loss for Kentucky (15-7, 4-5 in SEC), who, on Saturday, succumbed to unranked Arkansas at home.
Since beating Mississippi State and Texas A&M, Kentucky lost four of its last five games and was in danger in their clash against Tennessee before carving out a 78-73 win.
Fans have seemingly become disillusioned with the first-year coach and former team captain, urging the program's athletic department to give him the pink slip.
"Mark pope has no dog in him," another user added.
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"Fire Mark Pope, " said one fan.
Other fans figured out the honeymoon period between Kentucky and Mark Pope was over in just four days of losing to Arkansas and Ole Miss.
"My orange blood hates to admit that I like Mark Pope, but he seems like a really good dude. But that Kentucky honeymoon has come to an end in the last four days. Whew," a fan wrote on X.
Another fan called for Kentucky to fire athletic director Mitch Barnhardt alongside Pope, who is described as a nostalgia joke.
The Wildcats continue to miss the services of San Diego State transfer Lamont Butler, who is still recovering from a left shoulder injury.
Kentucky's defense falls apart against Ole Miss
Kentucky, whose defense allows 76.5 points per game, failed to limit Ole Miss to that number. The Wildcats allowed the Rebels to score 98 points. This was the third time in five games Mark Pope and his team allowed the opponents to score at least 89 points.
Kentucky had no teeth on its defense against Ole Miss, giving up 35 field goal makes, including 13 3-pointers. Worse, the team had forced only one turnover the whole 40 minutes.
Ole Miss came up with 24 assists and led by as many as 27 points before Kentucky reduced the deficit in garbage time.
The Wildcats wasted an excellent game from Amari Williams who tallied a triple-double of 12 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. Otega Oweh led the team's offense with 24 points and Jaxson Robinson added 18.
Matthew Murrell led Ole Miss with 24 points, on 8-of-13 shooting, including 6-of-11 from 3-pointers. Dre Davis, Malik Dia and Jaylen Murray combined for 48 points for the Rebels (17-6, 6-4).
Kentucky will have an easier schedule in the next four games, hosting South Carolina (Feb. 8), Tennessee (Feb. 11) and Vanderbilt (Feb. 19). They will visit Texas on Feb. 15 in between the Tennessee and Vanderbilt games.
What can you say about Kentucky's slump in the past five games? Let us know your insights in the comments section.
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