Ed Cooley shares what he loves about this Kentucky team and how his team gave them trouble

Here is what Ed Cooley had to say about the Kentucky Wildcats.

Mar 12, 2025; New York, NY, USA; Georgetown Hoyas head coach Ed Cooley reacts during the second half against the DePaul Blue Demons at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images | Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

It's safe to say there was not a single positive thing that could be taken away from Kentucky's loss to Georgetown, and Big Blue Nation is quite frustrated with the way the Wildcats played.

After the game, in his opening statement, Georgetown coach Ed Cooley shared his thoughts on the Wildcats and how his team affected Mark Pope's team.

Here is what Coach Cooley had to say about the Wildcats, "I love this Kentucky team. They’re fast in transition, they can really shoot the ball obviously, when Lowe and JQ get back, I think they have a different identity. I thought our ball pressure really bothered them, and I thought the physicality of the game played into what I call Big East basketball.”

Oct 30, 2025; Lexington, KY, USA; Georgetown Hoyas head coach Ed Cooley cheers on his players during the first half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Coach Cooley is correct that not having Jaland Lowe and Denzel Aberdeen on the floor hurt this basketball team, but this should not be a big excuse for a team with the amount of depth that Kentucky has.

Cooley is also right that the physicality of his team had a big effect on the Wildcats, which is concerning given that the SEC is a very physical conference. Last season in year one of the Pope era, it was clear that physicality affected the Wildcats, and they weren't great at things like winning 50/50 balls, rebounding, and, in all honesty, defense.

In the win over Purdue, Big Blue Nation was very happy because the Wildcats were great in these areas of the game, but then last night against Georgetown, Pope's team was dominated in these areas.

Once 2026 rolls around and SEC play gets going, every team is going to play a similar style of basketball to what the Hoyas did last night. Obviously, the loss last night will not go on the record for the Wildcats, but it is clear that Pope and this team have a lot of work to get done between now and the start of conference play.

Oct 24, 2025; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope huddles up with his team after the game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Hopefully, things change once Lowe and Aberdeen are back on the floor, but last night, the effort was not there for the Wildcats, and that was sad to see. Effort has not been an issue for Kentucky during the Pope era, but it was last night, and that is a bit scary.

Cooley is correct about the upside of this Kentucky team, but Coach Pope still has some work to do in order to get the full potential out of this 22-million-dollar basketball team.