The future looks very promising under Mark Pope.

Mar 28, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Lamont Butler (1) dribbles the ball against the Tennessee Volunteers in the first half during a Midwest Regional semifinal of the 2025 NCAA tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images.

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Kentucky basketball’s season may have ended in a rough way after losing to rival Tennessee in the Sweet 16, but with everything Mark Pope did in his first season at the helm in Lexington makes for a very promising future.

In his first season, Pope gave Kentucky wins over the likes of Duke, Florida, Louisville, Texas A&M, Tennessee (twice), Gonzaga, Mississippi State and Missouri, which gave Kentucky a great resume.

Eight wins over AP top 15 opponents and a Sweet 16 isn’t easy for anyone in their first year at a school, but Pope did it even while dealing with the circumstances of a few key injuries for a portion of the season, not to mention putting a roster together in one month, essentially from scratch.

This Kentucky team really set the tone for the Mark Pope era, and Lamont Butler talked about that after Friday’s loss.

“I think it was really cool we were able to set the culture for Pope’s first year. The bar is gonna be set high for the next people who come under Pope. It’s gonna be fun to watch, for sure.”

– Butler on the standard of the Pope era.

What Mark Pope and his team were able to this season overall was impressive. Not many people had eight top-15 wins in the regular season and a run to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament on their bingo card.

This Kentucky team set the standard for the future, and Pope says, “We’ll be taking about these guys 10 years from now.” This first team under Pope at Kentucky gave fans a new hope and an understanding again of what Kentucky basketball is about.

It’s hard to complain when you look at everything Pope did in his first season in Lexington. Many fans should consider this a successful start to a new era. The future looks promising.