Head coach Mark Pope expressed Deep concern regarding the Troy Trojans, Kentucky’s first-round NCAA Tournament
Mark Pope has a keen eye for detail, which has earned him respect and success in his inaugural season as Kentucky’s head coach. His spontaneous ability to analyze opponents is impressive, leaving listeners with a deeper understanding of basketball after just a short conversation with him.
This is why a fan of the KSR Radio Show was eager to hear Pope’s insights on the Troy Trojans, Kentucky’s first-round opponent in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Matt Jones, attending the Wildcats’ postseason in Milwaukee, ensured that the fan—who texted the same question 17 times—got his chance to ask.
Pope gladly shared his knowledge, dedicating three minutes of his press conference to thoroughly discuss Troy’s strengths from both statistical and tactical perspectives.
“Troy is a championship-level team, which highlights the excitement of the NCAA Tournament,” Pope stated. “Everyone here is either a champion or capable of being one.
“Troy ranks seventh in the country for steals and sixth for offensive rebounding. To put that in context, in the SEC, the best conference by far, the only team we encountered that was more effective on the offensive boards was Texas A&M, in a league that prides itself on rebounding. That demonstrates just how powerful Troy is on the boards.”
It’s rare for a mid-major to achieve top 10 rankings in multiple categories, but under head coach Scott Cross, Troy excels in disrupting passing lanes and effectively rebounding off their misses. Pope draws parallels between this Troy team and some of the opponents he faced earlier this season.
“They resemble Missouri in that they utilize a variety of changing defenses constantly,” he noted. “They employ anywhere from three to five different zone strategies, along with full-court and three-quarter court pressure, showing various approaches in their man-to-man defense.
“They’re incredibly disruptive. Their point guard, Tayton Conerway, is exceptional; he’s the conference player of the year. Fans of BBN will recognize the name Chucky Hepburn from Louisville, as Conerway is quite similar to him. He roams on defense, disregarding conventional defensive rules, and he’s among the top steal leaders in the country.”
Conerway is particularly expected to challenge Kentucky. As the Sun Belt Player of the Year, he excels on both ends of the court. After winning the league’s Sixth Man of the Year award last season, he has taken his game to new heights in 2024-25, averaging 14.3 points, 4.8 assists, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.9 steals in 30.4 minutes per game, while shooting 47.2 percent from the field.
“In fact, in three of his last five games, he recorded five steals in each,” Pope commented on Conerway. “That’s an astonishing figure. It’s remarkable. He achieves this by breaking all the rules of conventional defense.”
Beyond Conerway, Troy’s frontcourt will be a significant focus for Pope’s scouting report. Three of Troy’s top four scorers are forwards. The 6-foot-8 Thomas Dowd is the team’s best outside shooter, hitting 30.3 percent on 4.6 attempts per game, and he leads in rebounding with 6.8 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, 6-foot-8 Jackson Fields went 5-for-8 from beyond the arc in the Sun Belt semifinals against James Madison.
They have big players who can really shoot, making them very dangerous,” Pope remarked. “Their starting five converted 5 of 8 from three-point range two games ago. Their starting four is effective at running off stagger screens and out-of-bounds plays to get off three-point attempts. They have a bit of an inside-out game, and their bigs are excellent shooters.”
Troy doesn’t aim to push the tempo consistently, ranking 230th nationally in adjusted tempo. However, they seize opportunities to push the fastbreak when they arise. Pope anticipates that Troy will be “ten times more physical” than what he’s observed in film.
“They’re intriguing because there’s a clear contrast,” Pope explained. “The first night we watched a lot of film, and in the morning we dove deeper into the statistics. They tend to walk the ball up the court after made baskets. We checked their Synergy page and found that 18.3 or 18.7 percent of their possessions involve transition play, which is comparable to Alabama. I was genuinely surprised; this team doesn’t seem like Alabama at all.
“However, they create a lot in transition after missed shots and steals. They are a very strong team, well-structured, and incredibly well-coached by Scott. He does a fantastic job. This will definitely be a real challenge for us. I can keep going if you’d like; I tend to give longer answers for all 17 questions.
I believe that’s plenty, coach. Your thorough answer just made one KSR fan very happy!
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