"He's a monster": Mark Pope on facing Adou Thiero in John Calipari's Kentucky return with Arkansas

As the Kentucky Wildcats prepare to face off against John Calipari's Arkansas Razorbacks, in Calipari's return to Lexington, Mark Pope shared his thoughts on facing Adou Thiero. The Wildcats head coach spoke about the junior forward during his press conference on Friday.

"Yeah, he's a monster," Pope said. "Like he's playing elite-level basketball and he's just devastating physically. He's playing with such an incredible intensity and motor and physicality. He's great downhill, great getting in the room. He's actually pretty functional (from) mid-range. He really guards, you know, he's a 1 through 5 defensive player."

Pope also alluded to how Thiero was a former Wildcats player and spoke about how the fanbase knew him well. He said:

"In some ways, I think, BBN knows him better than I do. He's putting together a really special season and he's a handful for sure. There's no easy answers with him."

Mark Pope's Kentucky bounced back from a two-game losing skid with a hard-fought 78-73 victory over the Tennessee Volunteers on Tuesday. The Wildcats lost their previous two games against the Alabama Crimson Tide (102-97) and the Vanderbilt Commodores (74-69).

The team is currently in seventh place in the SEC with a 15-5 record. The Wildcats will be hoping to carry the momentum from their win against the Volunteers and they'll aim to extend their winning streak when they host Arkansas at the Rupp Arena on Sunday.

How did Adou Thiero peform vs. the Oklahoma Sooners?

Arkansas Razorbacks forward Adou Thiero (3) drives against Georgia Bulldogs forward Dylan James (13) - Source: Imagn

The Oklahoma Sooners defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks 65-62 in their encounter on Saturday. Adou Thiero scored 10 points and grabbed five rebounds in 30 minutes of action. Thiero has been a bright spot in an otherwise challenging season for John Calipari's team.

The forward boasts averages of 16.1 points, 6.2 rebounds,1.9 assists, and 1.8 steals while shooting 57.2% from the field. Despite Thiero's standout performances, Calipari's team has struggled to find consistency, posting a 1-6 record in the SEC. They are currently 12-8 this season having lost six of their last seven games.