Mark Pope says all of his players are primed for a breakout NCAA Tournament game

Kentucky is getting ready to begin their NCAA Tournament journey on Friday against the Troy Trojans in Milwaukee. After dealing with multiple injury setbacks in recent weeks, the Wildcats seem to be full-healthy with who they have as they head into the madness of the big dance. With the injuries, though, it has allowed some players to step up recently, and we have seen the likes of Ansley Almonor, Trent Noah, Travis Perry Collin Chandler, and Brandon Garrison all step up one way or another over the last month.

Mark Pope was asked on his call-in radio show Monday night if he had a specific player in mind that could have a big game in the tournament, but Pope believes all of his players are capable of a big game, but he also knows how important recovery is before the tournament begins.

"I think all of our guys are primed. I really do. I think these couple of days are really important for us to get as healthy as we can, and we'll ramp it up as we go through the week. I think I have a roster of guys that are so excited to play in this tournament and eager to play. I think these young guys still have a bunch left in the tank, and I expect each of these veterans to have these moments that you think about, these one shining moments in the tournament. It's kind of the same way we've been all year. We've had different guys step up in different moments in games, and I expect that we're gonna see that a lot more moving forward."
On players stepping up in tournament.

Kentucky has seen a slew of different players step up recently, and they'll need more of that in the NCAA Tournament as they look to make a big run. Especially with Jaxson Robinson out, the bench is going to have to continue to produce at a high level, coming in and providing a spark, along with the starters. Mark Pope certainly believes in his guys heading into the big dance, and Kentucky fans should too.