Fans react as Mark Pope yells profanity at officials during Alabama vs Kentucky: "That's preposterous", "He needs to go nuclear"

Mark Pope and the 15th-ranked Kentucky Wildcats' bid to win the SEC Tournament came to a disappointing end on Friday, losing 99-70 to the fifth-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide at Bridgestone Arena. The frustration got to Pope, who found himself in the middle of a heated exchange with officials during the quarterfinal.

The Kentucky coach was caught on camera yelling profanities at the referees as he disagreed with their officiating. College basketball fans took to X (formerly Twitter) to react to Pope's tirade.

"They say this job changes you," one fan tweeted.

"That’s preposterous," one fan wrote.

"He needs to go nuclear," one fan chimed in.

Here are some other reactions to Mark Pope's outburst.

"Pope's out there cussing again if that tells you anything about the officiating," one fan commented.

"There's no denying this one. Definitely not saying 'he's pushing,'" one fan shared.

"That's bullsh*t! - Mark Pope is furious," one fan posted.

The Kentucky Wildcats headed into the quarterfinal clash with momentum on their side after recording a thrilling 85-84 win over the Oklahoma Sooners on Thursday. Otega Oweh led Kentucky to victory, scoring the game-winning baseline jumper with 0.5 seconds left.

The Wildcats struggled, however, against the Crimson Tide, who never trailed in their last-eight showdown. Alabama built a 45-38 lead at the break before pulling away in the second half. The Crimson Tide outscored the Wildcats 54-35 during that period to cruise into the semifinals, where they will face the fourth-ranked Florida Gators.

Andrew Carr and Amari Williams lead scoring for Mark Pope's Kentucky in loss to Alabama

Three players scored in double figures for the Kentucky Wildcats, who missed the services of Lamont Butler due to an injury he suffered in the game against Oklahoma.

Andrew Carr led the scoring for Kentucky with 18 points. He was efficient on the offensive end, shooting 8-for-10 from the field. He shot 1-for-2 from the 3-point area and 1-for-2 from the free-throw line. He also had two rebounds, two steals, one assist and one block in 19 minutes of action.

Kentucky Wildcats forward Andrew Carr (7) comes around a screen against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the first half at Bridgestone Arena. Photo: Imagn

Amari Williams also delivered for Mark Pope, scoring 16 points on 4-of-8 shooting. Half of his points came from the free-throw line, with Williams going 8-for-13 from the charity stripe. He also recorded seven rebounds, four assists and one block. Travis Perry added 11 points for the Wildcats, who will enter the NCAA Tournament with a 22-11 overall record.