Mark Pope talks about Kentucky family after Anthony Davis and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s kind words: “This was built by them”

Kentucky head coach Mark Pope was proud to hear what NBA stars Anthony Davis and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander thought of his Wildcats team. Pope spoke about his desire to continue to make former and current players and coaches proud of their play.

Pope joined "SportsCenter" to discuss his team's season so far and was shown clips of former Kentucky stars AD and SGA talking about their college and how well they're doing right now.

"It is incredibly important to us that we continue to make all the players and coaches that worked miracles here over the decades, that we make those guys proud. We get to enjoy this because of what they did. This was built by them." Pope said.

"This Kentucky family, man, there's an enormous pride in what this is that spans through generation after generation, and it's our turn now to carry this torch, and it is a ton of brilliantly beautiful pressure to live up to the expectations here and that's what we're trying to do." he continued.

"I'm glad those guys [AD and SGA] are enjoying it, it's really important to us to make them proud."

Watch the full clips of AD and SGA as well as Pope's response below.

Mark Pope talks rivalry with Louisville ahead of Cardinals matchup

Mark Pope understands the intensity of the Kentucky-Louisville rivalry. Speaking after their win over Colgate on Wednesday, Pope, who hasn’t been part of the matchup in nearly three decades and is coaching in it for the first time, expressed his appreciation for its significance.

"I'm well aware of the beauty of this rivalry,” Pope said. "You probably have to experience it to truly understand, but I’m blessed with seasoned guys who’ve played in big-time rivalry games. This is just a little level up for them, so it won’t feel unfamiliar."

Kentucky leads the all-time series 39-17 and has dominated in recent years, winning five of the last six matchups. However, this year’s game will feature fresh faces on both teams, with Pope and Louisville’s coach, Pat Kelsey, both making their rivalry debuts.

Reflecting on the upcoming clash at Rupp Arena on Saturday, Dec. 14, Mark Pope summed up his emotions surrounding the game.

"It’s exciting. It’s awesome. We love it and we hate it and all the things." he said.

Kentucky enters the game ranked No. 5 nationally with a 9-1 record and one of the country’s top offenses, while Louisville is 6-4 after a challenging stretch of games.