Following Kentucky’s 85-80 win over Texas on Wednesday night, Mark Pope called on the NCAA to consider barring college basketball teams from the 2026 NCAA Tournament if they use players that have already gone through the NBA draft process.
After taking the final question in his postgame press conference, Pope stayed at the podium and said he wanted to offer his “two cents” on one of the prevailing storylines of this college basketball season.
There’s been a steady debate over the NCAA’s eligibility rules since Baylor signed Nigerian center James Nnaji late last month to play out the remainder of the 2025-26 season.
Nnaji, who had never played college basketball prior to his Jan. 3 debut for the Bears, was selected with the No. 31 overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft and participated in NBA Summer League games.
He is the first player chosen in the NBA draft to be granted eligibility by the NCAA, and the governing body has received criticism from high-profile coaches like John Calipari and Tom Izzo for allowing Nnaji to play.
Baylor coach Scott Drew has also been criticized for adding Nnaji to his roster.
The eligibility debate exploded this week when it was revealed that former Alabama center Charles Bediako, who left the Crimson Tide with remaining eligibility but went undrafted in 2023, was planning a return to Bama to play out the current season.
Bediako has played three seasons in the G League, including making six appearances for the Motor City Cruise this season. Bediako, who turns 24 years old in March, sued the NCAA on Tuesday — after Alabama’s initial request to have his eligibility reinstated was denied — and he was given a temporary restraining order Wednesday that would allow him to play immediately.
While Alabama has not released an official statement regarding Bediako’s playing status, its athletics department did issue a statement of support for Bediako on Wednesday.
“The University of Alabama supports Charles and his ongoing efforts to be reinstated for competition while he works to complete his degree,” the statement said.
Field of 68 also reported Wednesday that coach Nate Oats is planning to play Bediako in the team’s game against Tennessee on Saturday. Bediako was one of the top defensive players in the SEC during the 2022-23 season, his final run with the Crimson Tide.
The possibility that he could actually return to Alabama and play this season sent shockwaves across the sport. On Wednesday night, Pope joined the call for the NCAA to step in.
“I don’t have hard feelings towards anybody making any decision, because every single college program and college coach are the most competitive people in the world,” he began. “They’re going to try and find any avenue they can to find an advantage. It’s just what we’re paid to do.”
Without mentioning players or programs by name, the Kentucky coach went on to imply that the risk of not playing in the NCAA Tournament should be used as a deterrent to keep such players on the sidelines.
“The one stopgap that is kind of spreading right now — that maybe has some legs, that’s kind of a last stand — is the NCAA does get to decide who gets to go to the NCAA Tournament. Like, they get to decide that,” Pope said. “They have that power. And so at some point, when they’ve been very, very clear about the rules that they’re going to try and enforce — they might lose in court — but they still get to decide what games count towards the NCAA Tournament.
“And I’m not saying that to penalize any team. I’m just saying that because at some point it is important that we take a stand and regain some tiny ounce of sanity. And until someone tells me different, I still believe the NCAA has full power over who gets in the NCAA Tournament and what games they count towards your NCAA Tournament bid.”
Baylor is 11-7 this season with a 1-5 record in Big 12 play, and the Bears are not projected to make the NCAA Tournament field. The team is also 1-5 in games in which Nnaji has played.
Alabama is 13-5 with a 3-2 SEC record. The Crimson Tide are ranked No. 17 in this week’s AP Top 25 poll and were projected as a 5 seed in ESPN’s Bracketology update Tuesday morning.
Kentucky lost to Alabama in the league opener earlier this month, and that was the only regular-season game between the Cats and the Tide on the 2025-26 schedule, so Pope’s team would only play Alabama again if the two sides met in the postseason.
“Hopefully we’ll take a stand there and clean this up for everybody. For everybody,” Pope said Wednesday night. “Because right now, everybody is chasing their tails, and I think it’s a place we can take a stand. I hope we will. This game matters too much. The NCAA Tournament is too extraordinary of a deal. These high school players and these young players and all these players matter too much. College basketball matters too much. It’s just time to take a stand, bring a little bit of sanity into this deal, say it publicly, and let’s move forward.”