Mark Pope says Clemson loss made him more confident in this Kentucky team

Pope likes how the team responded in the second half.

Dec 3, 2024; Clemson, South Carolina, USA; Kentucky Head Coach Mark Pope during the first half against Clemson at Littlejohn Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ken Ruinard-Imagn Images / Ken Ruinard-Imagn Images

Kentucky suffered their first loss of the season on Tuesday at Clemson, falliing 70-66. There were a lot of areas that improved throughout the game, like rebounding and controlling Clemson's best two scorers, but the physicality from the Tigers seemed to have Kentucky a little flustered.

Mark Pope spoke with media on Thursday to reflect on the loss and look ahead to Gonzaga on Saturday. Pope says he is more confident in this Kentucky team after the loss than he was before. There are some things to harp on, but there are also significant bright spots. The offense may have struggled, but the defensive side was an improvement throughout the game. Still, there is a lot to get better at obviously, but Pope has more confidence now in the team than he had before the loss to Clemson.

"I liked us in the game. I mean, there's so many things we can do better in the game. I shouldn't say this because BBN's gonna kill me, but I'm not very filtered. I actually have more confidence in this team after the game than I did before, which is a terrible thing to say here. I liked how our guys were willing to sell out to address the most important thing, and at halftime, the most glaring problem we had was we were down 10 on the glass. A lot of times in this game, we give lip service to things that need to be addressed, and then you go through and you don't really fix the problem because there is so many other things that you get distracted on and focused on. I was really impressed with our guys that, like, that was a massive point of emphasis. ...We didn't play great. On the offensive side of the ball we didn't play well at all. But the guys, even in spite of all that, were like, 'Ok, so this is the most important thing. Let's handle the most important thing.' When you handle the most important thing, it bodes well for you."

- Pope on feeling more confident.

With that confidence, Mark Pope can use that and spread it to the players. A big matchup with No. 7 Gonzaga awaits on Saturday, and they are looking to bounce back.