Recapping everything Mark Pope said after Alabama defeats Kentucky

Mark Pope's Kentucky Wildcats were close to pulling off another ranked win, but Alabama escaped with a 102-97 victory. At Rupp Arena on Saturday, No. 8 Kentucky fell to No. 4 Alabama in a back-and-forth matchup that saw the Crimson Tide go on a key late run to pull away.

Following the tough home loss, Kentucky coach Mark Pope said:

"I felt like we were battling a lot of fatigue out there and I felt like we were battling some frustration," Pope said of Alabama's late run (1:10). "We were really struggling to guard legal. It was just all of those things come together."

Despite the defeat, the Wildcats still managed 97 points, the most Alabama has given up all season.

"That’s how you attack a defense like they showed. We just didn’t do it well enough consistently enough," Pope added (10:45). "Listen, our guys fought and they battled. We just didn’t play that well. We still scored 97 points, we just didn’t play great, right?"

A reporter asked if Mark Pope was still comfortable with how his team performs in big games.

"We left so much on the table. There is so much room for us to grow," the coach replied (4:10). "There is so many spaces where we can get better. In particular, playing this style of game. That’s going to be the nature of the season.

"The most important thing for us is we can’t waste any energy or any time on nonconstructive things. It’s a race to see how fast we can get better, and that’s not easy."

Pope, a first-year Kentucky coach, wasn't quite satisfied with his team's defensive effort and execution.

"We had some issues," he said (5:22). "We gave up 15 offensive rebounds and that’s really really tough. We let them shoot 39% from the three point line. That’s really tough. We sent them to the free-throw line 40 times. When you do those things it makes him a really tough package to get a win."

---

Kentucky suffers first home loss under Mark Pope against Alabama

Kentucky entered the Saturday matchup against Alabama with an 11-0 record at Rupp Arena and a perfect 2-0 mark against ranked opponents. However, the Wildcats were unable to extend those streaks, as Nate Oats' Crimson Tide prevailed 102-97.

The defeat marked the first home loss for coach Mark Pope since taking over the program this season. In a high-scoring affair that saw the total points scored reach 199, Kentucky came up short in its bid to knock off another top-10 opponent. It was also Kentucky's first home loss since their defeat to Gonzaga in February.

The Wildcats have picked up impressive victories over ranked teams this campaign including Duke, Gonzaga, Florida, Mississippi State and Texas A&M.