Mark Pope responds to DeMarcus Cousins' viral tweet after the game

The Kentucky Wildcats got flat out embarrassed on Friday against Gonzaga in Nashville after a complete collapse was had just a few days earlier in Rupp Arena against North Carolina. Kentucky needed this one bad, and the Wildcats couldn't deliver once again, now moving to 0-4 against power conference opponents as they continue to move through their nonconference schedule. They certainly didn't deliver for their fans, and a former Wildcat had something to say about it.

Throughout the bad performance of a game from the Wildcats, boos ran down from the stands, and got loud essentially as the game went on. Yet, even with hearing that, Kentucky's players showed no fight in their play, or any accountability towards their teammates. After Kentucky's 35-point loss against Gonzaga, former Wildcat DeMarcus Cousins took to social media to voice his opinion.

Here's what Cousins had to say: "Can’t lie…this UK team has no heart! This is hard to watch smh." Take that from someone who showed plenty of fight and heart during his time at Kentucky, with his attitude on the court helping shape his career from that point on. The former Wildcat was a killer on the court in his time, known for backing up his trash talk with his physical play down low.

Can’t lie…this uk team has no heart! This is hard to watch smh
— DeMarcus Cousins (@boogiecousins) December 6, 2025

Coincidentally enough, what Cousins was best at in his time in Lexington, physicality and heart, is exactly what Kentucky struggled with. Kentucky let Gonzaga do whatever they wanted on their offensive end, as big man Graham Ike absolutely destroyed Kentucky's bigs down low. He had 28 points and 10 rebounds, as he and fellow Gonzaga big man Braden Huff combined for 48 points. The Bulldogs were able to the paint at will, with Kentucky not showing any effort to push them around, or even keep them off the glass on the other end of the floor after their own misses. Gonzaga finished with 46 points in the paint, and had 33 defensive rebounds, and gave Kentucky just 12 offensive rebounds off their 44 missed shots.

Mark Pope was asked about Cousins' comments after the game, and here's what he had to say. "I have no issue with what he said, in the sense of you're watching that game, you feel like starting with the coach, this problem is completely unacceptable. So I think that as a former player, I'm pissed with the coach too, and that's just all deserved. There's nothing inappropriate about what he said at all.

Even after all of those boos from their own fans, the Wildcats never showed fight, and looked lost all game. They didn't have answers, and quite frankly, haven't in any of their recent marquee games. The offense is stagnant, with no one really knowing what to do to make something happen, and a defense that just cannot handle physicality, or even ball-screen defense, which Gonzaga utilized a lot with their very talented frontcourt.

This team showed no fight or resilience, and after two-straight games were the fans booed their own team for the terrible on-court product, Kentucky has yet to respond when things are down, and a former player, who is a legend at the school, is not happy about it.