Mark Pope makes his feelings known on Andrew Carr for huge impact in Kentucky's nail biting win vs Florida

Mark Pope's Kentucky gave the Florida Gators their first loss of the 2024-25 season as it took the 106-100 win on Saturday at the Rupp Arena. All five Kentucky starters scored in double digits, as Lamont Butler had 19 points, eight assists and three steals.

The game stayed close from the start, with Florida leading for a bit in the first half and Kentucky taking over soon after. Senior forward Andrew Carr came in clutch helping the Wildcats finish big, despite his struggles early in the game. Mark Pope was asked about Carr's performance in the post-game presser and said (01:30):

"I mean Andrew is, like, you know, you go down these lines, it's pretty incredible. ... We spent the last several minutes of the game switching one through five, had a ridiculously difficult defensive responsibilities. I thought he was terrific.

"With us moving Andrew around, you could see that Florida had to be responsive in the lineups they were choosing to put on the floor because they were trying to deal with Andrew down the stretch and that's really impactful. It's a good feeling as a coach when you know that the other side has to kind of jockey a little bit to figure out what they can do lineup-wise."

Although the line-ups and positioning may not necessarily be the ones he likes, Mark Pope added that pushing an opponent in that direction left him feeling good.

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Mark Pope's first season with the Wildcats is on an incredible run

When Mark Pope was first announced as the new Kentucky coach, after John Calipari's exit, the news was not received well by many. Fans and analysts doubted Pope's ability to lead a historic program like the Wildcats but the coach has put all doubts to rest.

Apart from the incredible run this season, (12-2), Mark Pope has also revived the love for the Wildcats among the Big Blue Nation. During the SEC opener against the Gators, Rupp Arena was packed with nearly 21,000 fans cheering for the team.

ESPN play-by-play broadcaster Dan Shulman tweeted about the scene in the arena on X:

“I’ve been doing this 30 years. I can count on one hand where both the game and the environment were as good as they were today at Rupp for Kentucky-Florida. College basketball at its best.”

With the high spirits from the home win, the Wildcats will travel to Athens, Georgia, for their game against the Bulldogs on Tuesday.