Breaking: Head Coach Mark Pope Send Strong Message To NCAA; Demands A Bolder Future for College Hoops
Mark Pope probably isn’t alone in his desire to see the college basketball season lengthened. The Kentucky head coach has voiced this opinion before, but he reinforced it again during a recent interview with KSR. With revenue sharing becoming increasingly common in college hoops, Pope believes expanding the schedule could provide teams with greater flexibility.
However, his motivations go beyond just flexibility. Pope is pushing for more high-profile matchups—specifically, he wants Kentucky to face the nation’s top programs more often. He’s also aiming to bring more marquee games to Rupp Arena, giving fans the kind of elite competition they’ve long been craving. Additionally, he’s advocating for more home-and-home series to be included in future schedules. During his KSR interview, Pope passionately argued for adding more games overall.
Mark Pope is making a strong push to expand the college basketball season—something he believes is more important than ever in the era of revenue sharing. During his recent interview with KSR, the Kentucky head coach made it clear that more games on the schedule could benefit everyone involved.
“Expand the season,” Pope urged. “With revenue sharing now in play, this changes everything. I keep saying 40 games—even though people push back—but how about 35? Imagine if we had four more games to schedule: a big neutral-site matchup, a home-and-home series, maybe a big in-state rivalry. That added flexibility would mean everything.”
He emphasized that adding more games isn’t just about logistics—it’s about raising the standard of competition and providing fans with the kind of matchups they crave. Pope pointed to the upcoming games against Purdue and Georgetown as great, but he wants more. “Why can’t we have a home-and-home with Kansas? Why am I not going to Storrs to play UConn? We should be doing that.”
One challenge, he noted, is that Kentucky relies heavily on home game revenue, which means the team is often locked into a 20-game home schedule. While that’s necessary to fund the program and the broader athletic department, Pope believes more scheduling flexibility would allow schools to increase revenue while also creating better opportunities for student-athletes.
Pope isn’t just talking the talk—he’s already backing it up by scheduling top-tier games. He knows what the Kentucky brand stands for and isn’t afraid to lean into it. “If you’re coming to Kentucky, don’t come here and hide,” he told KSR, underscoring the high expectations that come with wearing a Wildcats jersey.
The Kentucky coaching staff clearly isn’t backing down from challenges. Pope understands that being at Kentucky means embracing the toughest matchups—and he’s making sure the schedule reflects that.
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