When you go into a season with a $22 million NIL budget, the expectations are naturally sky-high. And that’s exactly the vibe in Lexington, where Kentucky fans fully expect the Wildcats to build on last year’s momentum after finally getting back to the Sweet 16 for the first time in five seasons. But instead of taking a step forward, Mark Pope’s team has stumbled out of the gate.

The Wildcats have now dropped both of their games against top-25 teams, trailing by 20 in the loss to Louisville and by 24 in their latest defeat to Michigan State. Watching this group, you can’t help but wonder what identity Mark Pope is trying to build. Nothing feels settled, nothing feels consistent, and right now it’s hard to tell what this Kentucky team is supposed to be.

Michigan State forward Jaxon Kohler — who was absolutely key in their 83–66 win over Kentucky at the State Farm Champions Classic in Madison Square Garden with his 20-point performance — explained the reason behind their sharp three-point shooting. “The key was going into this game having confidence in your shot. And I feel like everyone did that. The first one went in, and you just kind of built on that confidence.”

There are a lot of problems with this Kentucky team right now. They shot just 35% from the field and an even worse 23% from three against Tom Izzo’s side. On top of that, they didn’t grab a single offensive rebound until there were only 6:36 left in the first half. That’s the exact opposite of what Mark Pope hoped to build this offseason, especially with a $22 million NIL budget behind the roster.

When you bring in elite shooters like Jaland Lowe, Kam Williams, and Jasper Johnson, add them to the return of Otega Oweh, and stack the roster with defensive anchors like Mo Dioubate and Williams, you expect a whole lot more. Yes, Jaland Lowe — your primary ball handler — has already missed three games. And yes, your star addition, Jayden Quaintance, still hasn’t suited up. But even with that, it’s hard to justify a performance where Kentucky shot just 27.6% from the field and went 4-of-15 from deep.

And the defense wasn’t much better either. The Wildcats allowed a team ranked 352nd in Division I in three-point percentage,  a team that came in shooting just 21.7% from beyond the arc,  to hit a season-high 11 threes.

The biggest issue for Mark Pope right now is the absence of a true point guard, with Jaland Lowe still sidelined. Denzel Aberdeen had to carry most of the load against Michigan State, Jasper Johnson took a few turns running the show, and Collin Chandler chipped in with some experience from last season. But every time one of them had to be the primary ball-handler, it pulled them away from what they actually do best: playing off the ball. None of them are natural creators who can break down a defense possession after possession, and that lack of a real floor general is hurting Kentucky in a big way right now.

And coach Mark Pope was pretty disappointed with the loss as well…

Mark Pope Bashes Kentucky’s performance against Michigan State

No coach wants to open the season 3–2, especially when both losses come against power-conference opponents. That’s exactly where Mark Pope finds himself, and he knows the pressure is only going to rise from here. Kentucky fans are among the most demanding in the country, and starts like this don’t fly under the radar….. not in Lexington, not ever.

Following the Michigan State loss, Coach Pope addressed things in the postgame press conference, and it was clear he wasn’t happy with what he saw. “We’re far away from a team that we hope and aspire to be,” Pope said. “…..We’re really disappointed and discouraged and just completely discombobulated right now. So, we just have work to do.”

The Wildcats will now face Loyola Maryland and Tennessee Tech, and they’re expected to take care of business in both. ESPN gives Kentucky a 99% chance of winning each matchup, so these should be routine games for Mark Pope and his team. But the real test comes right after. Once they get through this stretch, they’ll see North Carolina and Gonzaga back to back. Both are top 25 teams in the country right now, and beating them won’t be easy. That’s when we’ll truly learn whether Pope has managed to fix Kentucky’s issues or if the problems run deeper.