"I'd take a bullet for Lamont"; "Enjoy Cancun": Fans have polar reactions as Mark Pope consoles Kentucky star after Tennessee loss 

Kentucky coach Mark Pope could not lead his No. 3 Wildcats to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament after losing in their Sweet 16 game on Friday evening. The Wildcats were beaten 78-65 by the No. 2 Tennessee Volunteers.

During his postgame news conference, Pope reserved praise for Wildcats star Lamont Butler, who tallied a game-high 18 points, six rebounds and three assists in the loss.

“I don’t know where you find people like [Butler],” Pope said. “They’re really rare. And I love him. He is just an incredible, incredible person and leader. He’s playing on one leg and one arm the last two months of the season and still winning huge games and making massive plays. It’s hard to say all the things about him that need to be said.

“This part is hard, it’s really hard. We get these little windows in our lives to do certain things and be with certain people and be with a special group and it’s brutal when it closes. The only thing that makes it livable is these guys gave everything," he added.

A picture of an embattled Pope consoling Lamont Butler in the tunnel after the game was posted on X/Twitter by NBC 5 reporter Charlie Clifford:

College basketball fans had mixed reactions to Mark Pope consoling Butler on X:

"Their fanbase deserves this," one fan said.

"Your coach failed you Lamont. Sorry man," another fan wrote.

Some fans chose to applaud Pope for his act of compassion:

"Class act. Pope is going to be an all time great coach!" One fan tweeted.

"Coach Pope has a bright future at Kentucky," another fan said.

"I might hate Kentucky but I love Butler and Pope great men," a fan added.

Mark Pope has mixed first season in charge of Kentucky

Mark Pope had a mixed season after succeeding John Calipari as coach of the Kentucky Wildcats. He led the team to the quarterfinals of the Southeastern Conference Tournament and the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament alongside a 24-12 overall record.

The Wildcats beat the Volunteers twice during the regular season but came up short when it mattered the most. They were outrebounded offensively 14-7 by the Volunteers, and during his postgame news conference, Pope was concise in his observations of the game.

"It's hard to talk about basketball right now," Pope said via On3.com. "Congratulations to Tennessee. They played really hard and really well. I have a ton of respect for Coach Barnes. Mostly, we're just sad that this is over."

Despite falling at the Sweet 16, it was the farthest that the Wildcats had reached in the postseason since the 2019 season under John Calipari.

How do you think Mark Pope will fare with the Kentucky Wildcats next season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.