"We left so much on the table": Mark Pope seems upset after #8 Kentucky loses to #4 Alabama in close battle

Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats had their two-game winning streak snapped on Saturday, losing 102-97 to the Alabama Crimson Tide at Rupp Arena. They had no answer for Grant Nelson, who recorded his fifth double-double of the season.

A reporter asked Pope if he was comfortable with the way his team played in such a big game against fourth-ranked Alabama. The Kentucky coach couldn't hide his frustration in the postgame press conference as the Wildcats let another winnable game slip away.

"We can be so much better. I think that’s the biggest thing," Pope said (Timestamp 3:59). "Listen, Alabama’s a terrific team. They’re a great team, so it’s not taking any ting away from Alabama when I say that, but we just left so much on the table."

"There’s so much room for us to grow. There are 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."

Mark Pope pointed out that the Wildcats should immediately move forward and not dwell on their defeat, given the difficulty of the SEC schedule.

"We’ve played our first five games in the league, all are against teams in the top 25 right now," Pope said. "It’s just the nature of this league right now and the most important thing for us is we can’t waste energy or any time on non-constructive things."

"It’s a race to see how fast we can get better and that’s not easy. I’ll be a much better postgame guy four hours from now but that’s kind of the speed we have to go with."

Mark Pope's Kentucky falls in high-scoring shootout vs Alabama

Mark Pope's eighth-ranked Kentucky Wildcats lost for the first time this season against a top-10 opponent, despite having seven players score in double figures. Otega Oweh led the team in scoring with 21 points on 8-for-14 shooting. Lamont Butler and Amari Williams also contributed, scoring 17 and 13 points, respectively.

Kentucky Wildcats guard Otega Oweh (#00) celebrates after a basket during the second half against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Rupp Arena. Photo: Imagn

Jaxson Robinson and Brandon Garrison each scored 11 points, while Koby Brea and Ansley Almonor each scored 10 points off the bench for the Wildcats, who dropped to 14-4.

Alabama also displayed its high-powered offense, with five players scoring in double figures. Grant Nelson and Mark Sears led Alabama’s attack, combining for 49 points.

Starters Labaron Philon and Clifford Omoruyi also delivered, scoring 15 and 12 points, respectively. Chris Youngblood added 10 points off the bench for the Crimson Tide, who improved their record to 15-3.