Mark Pope loves Milwaukee.
He didn’t just play for the Milwaukee Bucks, he was a starter for the Milwaukee Bucks. In fact, of the 153 games Pope played for four NBA teams over six seasons, all 57 of his starts were as a member of the Bucks spread over the 2000-01 and 2001-02 campaigns.
“I have so many memories,” the Kentucky basketball coach said Sunday after learning that his Wildcats will open NCAA Tournament play at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. “It’s a really special place to me. George Karl was the only coach — sorry George — dumb enough to actually start me in the NBA. Started most of the season there on a great team (2000-01) that made an epic run to the NBA Eastern Conference Finals Game 7.”
Wait, that’s not all.
“My first daughter, Ella, was born in Milwaukee,” Pope said. “I would drive home every day, we lived off Bluemound Road, I’d drive right by Kopp’s Custard and on a placard they’d have what the custard of the day was and I’d call Lee Anne and say, ‘Are we getting it or not?’ We have great friends there. Milwaukee is a special place to us.”
Milwaukee could be even more special come Friday. That’s when Pope’s Wildcats, the No. 3 seed in the Midwest Regional, take on the No. 14 seed Troy Trojans, tournament champions of the Sun Belt Conference, at 7:10 p.m. EDT on CBS.
And never mind the seed, or the opponent, or the regional, or even the sentimental the first-round site. The biggest break the Cats caught on Selection Sunday was the fact that their first-round game is in five days (Friday) instead of four (Thursday).
That’s more time for rest. More time for scouting. More time for preparation. More time for UK to shake off that 99-70 drubbing last Friday by Alabama in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament. Best of all, it’s more time for a bruised and battered team to heal.
“There’s a lot of guys on our team dealing with a lot of minor injuries,” guard Koby Brea said Sunday after the team’s watch party at the Central Bank Center’s Champions Club. “Just the extra time helps us getting back healthy and take care of not only our bodies but our minds, as well.”
Lamont Butler’s injury has been anything but minor. Kentucky’s starting point guard was wearing a brace on his left shoulder to protect himself from an earlier injury that caused him to miss six SEC games when he suffered yet another shoulder injury in last Thursday’s win over Oklahoma in Nashville.
The San Diego State transfer sat out the loss to Alabama but is expected to be available for the game(s) in Milwaukee.
“I’m feeling good,” Butler said Sunday. “Feeling better than I was the last couple of days.”
Kentucky basketball reacts to being the No. 3 seed in the Midwest Region of the NCAA Tournament. #BBN pic.twitter.com/kek8kAfl2x
— John Clay (@johnclayiv) March 16, 2025
The Cats had to feel good about their draw, as well. While Kentucky is 15th in the NCAA NET computer rankings, Troy is 99th. A victory Friday would match the Wildcats against the winner of a game between No. 6 seed Illinois and the winner of a First Four game between No. 11 seeds Texas and Xavier. Illinois is 17th in the NET rankings but was blitzed 88-65 by Maryland in the Big Ten Tournament. Texas is ranked 39th, Xavier is 45th.
If the seeds hold, Kentucky would face No. 2 seed Tennessee in a Midwest Regional semifinal on Friday, March 28, in Indianapolis. The Wildcats have beaten the Vols twice this season and it’s difficult for any team to beat another team three times. On the other hand, the Wildcats have beaten the Vols twice this season.
As a program, Kentucky hasn’t advanced beyond the NCAA Tournament’s first weekend since 2019. As a head coach, the 52-year-old Pope has never won an NCAA Tournament game. Ah, but the coach was insistent Sunday that this is not about him.
“It’s so much bigger than that,” Pope said. “What this group has already accomplished is incredible and I’m excited to how much we can take these lessons into postseason and the NCAA Tournament and see what will the dividends be.”
Milwaukee, here they come.
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