Insider Jon Rothstein claims Kentucky HC Mark Pope set to receive new contract extension following Sweet 16 finish in March Madness

NCAA Basketball: NCAA Tournament Midwest Regional-Kentucky at Tennessee - Source: Imagn

Coach Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats reached the Sweet 16 in March Madness before being eliminated 78-65 by the Tennessee Volunteers. It was a solid run for the team, as they reached the point of the tournament expected of a No. 3 seed.

With the Wildcats reaching the Sweet 16, Pope has received a one-year contract extension, according to a team official. His new contract will run through the 2029-30 season and comes with a $250,000 salary increase. The report came from insider Jon Rothstein, who tweeted:

"Kentucky's Mark Pope received an automatic one-year contract extension after the Wildcats made the Sweet 16, according to a team official. Pope's contract now runs through the 2029-30 season, with a $250,000 salary increase set for the final year of the deal."

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This season was a step in the right direction for the Wildcats. They reached the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2019 despite qualifying for the tournament the past three years. Additionally, they won the SEC Tournament for the first time since 2022.

The Wildcats accomplished the feat despite dealing with season-ending injuries to Jaxson Robinson and Kerr Kriissa and a lingering injury to Lamont Butler. It was also Mark Pope's first season as the Wildcats coach.

Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats reach out to Cincinnati guard Dan Skillings Jr.

Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats have secured two commitments from players in the transfer portal this week. Mo Dioubate from Alabama and Jayden Quaintance from Arizona State have committed to join the Wildcats next season. However, the Wildcats are still at work to improve for the 2025-26 season.

According to a report on Tuesday, they has reached out to Cincinnati guard Dan Skillings Jr. He averaged 9.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game this past season, shooting at a 44% rate overall and 29.9% from beyond the 3-point arc. He missed six games early in the season because of a knee injury suffered in the season opener.

However, Kentucky is not the only team interested in Skillings, according to a report on Monday.

"Cincinnati transfer Dan Skillings is drawing interest from Baylor, Gonzaga, LSU, Alabama and others, source told ESPN. Entered the portal this morning, will also test the NBA draft waters. 6-foot-6 wing averaged 9.2 points this season. Repped by Scott Nichols of Rize Management and Kenny Jackson of Sky Limit Sports."

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The transfer portal will remain open until April 22.

About the author

Alexander O'Reilly is a journalist at Sportskeeda from Kingston, Ontario with over seven years in the field at companies including SenShot, RVBlogger, Monarch Media, WordAgents, GSeC LLC, and IGC.

His favorite college team is Duke, and his favorite sporting memory was Duke winning March Madness in 2010. JJ Redick was Alex's favorite college player when he was young but more recently, Caleb Williams gets the nod. As the Chicago Bears are Alex's favorite NFL team, this was a perfect match.

Alex's proudest moment came when he was interviewed by a radio station in Ottawa on his opinion on recent moves by the Ottawa Senators, which gave him a confidence boost and the knowledge that he could succeed as a writer.

Aside from sports, Alex likes to spend his time playing games. He is also very passionate about running and strives to improve at the half and full marathon distances.

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Edited by Bhargav