"Our roster is in tatters right now": Mark Pope explains the importance of Kentucky bench players due to injury struggles

Mark Pope's No. 3 seed Kentucky got off to a winning start in this year's NCAA Tournament, despite a few injury woes. The Wildcats beat No. 14 Troy 76-57 at Fiserv Forum, and Pope was thrilled that his bench players rose to the occasion in the first round of March Madness.

After the game, Pope addressed the injuries to his Kentucky roster while also praising his bench players.

"Yeah, they were really important," Mark Pope said when asked about his bench players chipping in with vital contributions (10:20). "I thought one of the biggest plays of the game was Trent's first 3-pointer. It really mattered. It was a great play from Amari out of a tech set.

"Just to see it, Otega kind of broke his cut and went down the middle, and it kinda sucked it in. They’re kind of coming from us anyway, and the skip pass was really terrific. I thought he had a huge impact. He was solid defensively.

"TP played solid minutes. Collin, of course, was spectacular. BG, I’m telling you guys, he’s going to turn into a really, really special — all these guys will turn into really special players. But our roster right now is in tatters, and these guys are doing this just on sheer love for each other and will in terms of guys’ health right now. There’s so much going on."

Otega Oweh led the way for Kentucky with a game-high 20 points, while adding eight rebounds and six assists. Andrew Carr posted 13 points, three assists and two rebounds, while Brandon Garrison chipped in with 13 points, two assists and six rebounds.

For Troy, Myles Rigsby scored a team-high 17 points with seven rebounds. He didn't have much support from his teammates apart from Tayton Conerway, who recorded 12 points, four rebounds and four assists.

The Wildcats were dealt a blow just before March Madness when Jaxson Robinson's season ended due to a wrist injury. Meanwhile, Kerr Kriisa was ruled out for the season after suffering a foot injury in December.

Mark Pope's Kentucky will face Illinois in second round of 2025 NCAA Tournament

Kentucky Wildcats HC Mark Pope - Source: Imagn

Mark Pope's Kentucky (23-11) will lock horns with No. 6 seed Illinois (22-12) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The game will tip off at 5:15 p.m. ET on Sunday from Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.

Illinois beat No. 11-seeded Xavier 86-73 at Fiserv Forum on Friday night in the first round of March Madness. The Fighting Illini had four players record double figures in the matchup. Will Riley produced a team-high 22 points along with four rebounds and two blocks.

The Kentucky vs. Illinois game will be broadcast live on CBS. Fans can also live stream it on Fubo or Paramount+.