CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander released his latest Candid Coaches feature, asking more than 100 college basketball coaches: Which coach will be the next to win their first NCAA Tournament title?
Kentucky’s Mark Pope came in fourth at 6%, just ahead of Alabama’s Nate Oats, Arizona’s Tommy Lloyd, and Michigan’s Dusty May.
That wasn’t the main reason why Kentucky fans got so defensive of Norlander’s article, but it was what one anonymous coach told CBS Sports that made fans very upset.
“Since UK can do things no other school can financially, he would have to be a complete bozo to not win one soon,” said an anonymous coach.
The coach is right to think Pope should have the tools to win a natty, given that Kentucky has more NIL resources, national exposure, and recruiting pull than almost any other program in the country. The comment suggests that Pope, with the full power of Kentucky behind him, is in one of the best positions in college basketball to win it all.
Still, the remark undermines how difficult it is to be a head coach at Kentucky, and why some coaches, like Billy Gillispie, haven’t lasted long after underperforming. Of course, anything short of a deep NCAA Tournament run could be seen as falling short. Now, Pope faces the challenge of using Kentucky’s resources and his leadership to deliver the program’s first national championship since 2012.
How funny would it be if the anonymous coach in question was Pat Kelsey?
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