Mark Pope seems optimistic despite back-to-back Kentucky upsets: "We're searching for answers... We're going to find the answers"

Things are going from bad to worse for Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats. They suffered their second consecutive upset loss Tuesday night, falling 98-84 to Ole Miss at the Sandy and John Black Pavilion. Their record dropped to 15-7 with the defeat.

Pope remained optimistic, however, that the Wildcats will get back on track after back-to-back SEC losses. They have struggled in conference play this season, losing five of their first nine SEC games.

“We’re in a tough spot right now as a team. We’re searching for answers and you know, it’s not going to get easier," Pope said (Timestamp 8:54). "

"This is the job and I’m glad I get to do this with these guys. We’re going to go find answers and we’re going to have unbelievable success as we go but this is certainly a hard space for us right now."

Mark Pope is definitely feeling the pressure with the Kentucky Wildcats going 1-4 in their last five games. Their slump started with back-to-back losses to Alabama and Vanderbilt.

A win against Tennessee proved to be a brief respite, as Kentucky suffered double-digit defeats to John Calipari's Arkansas squad and No. 25 Ole Miss soon after.

Poor start dooms Mark Pope's Kentucky in loss to Ole Miss

Mark Pope and the No. 14 Kentucky Wildcats got off to a poor start on the road against the Ole Miss Rebels, quickly trailing 5-0 after the opening 45 seconds. The Rebels never looked back, closing the first half on a 15-3 run to take a commanding 54-31 lead into the break.

Matthew Murrell starred for Ole Miss during that stretch, draining three 3-pointers to help the Rebels pull away. He finished with 24 points on 8-for-13 shooting and was lights-out from beyond the arc, hitting six of 11 attempts.

Ole Miss Rebels guard Sean Pedulla (3) reacts with guard Matthew Murrell (11) during the first half against the Kentucky Wildcats at The Sandy and John Black Pavilion at Ole Miss. Photo: Imagn

Four other players scored in double figures for the Rebels, who improved their overall record to 17-6.

Dre Davis scored 17 points on 7-for-10 shooting. Fellow starters Malik Dia and Jaylen Murray also contributed, scoring 16 and 15 points, respectively. Jaemyn Brakefield provided the firepower off the bench with 10 points.

Otega Oweh led Kentucky, scoring 24 points in a losing effort. Jaxson Robinson added 18 points for the Wildcats, who will next face the South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday.