Pope and his Cats became a positive part of a historic rivalry.
One way or another, Mark Pope’s first team as head coach of his alma mater would join the deep history of Kentucky vs. Duke.
Thankfully, it was part of Lexington’s good history, as Pope’s 19th-ranked Wildcats defeated the sixth-ranked Blue Devils in Catlanta by a final score of 77-72.
As it turned out, Coach Pope channeled that history in order to help his team get ready for this highly anticipated matchup.
Pope revealed this during a postgame interview with KSR’s Matt Jones.
Mark Pope says on KSR Postgame Show that on Sunday he showed a video to his team with highlights from the 1978, 1992 and 1998 UK-Duke games because he wanted them to know the history and what this game meant to the Big Blue Nation
— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) November 13, 2024
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