Mark Pope didn’t let the final buzzer be the end of the night at Rupp Arena. After Kentucky’s 99–85 win over Bellarmine, the Wildcats’ head coach had one more surprise waiting: a Christmas-themed gesture for the fans who showed up for a 1 p.m. ET game on Tuesday, right before Christmas. And we are quite used to such gestures, aren’t we?

Instead of simply wrapping up his postgame radio show, Pope invited the entire crowd that remained in the arena to join him and the Wildcats team in the C Club, where players were waiting to sign autographs and take photos with the fans.

“It’s BBN at its very finest,” Pope said to the fans as per On3. “We love you guys so much that we got a few surprises for you.”

But even before the autograph session began, Pope’s daughters handed out commemorative books marking his first season at Kentucky to random fans, and Mark Pope himself was seen shooting T-shirts towards the crowd that included $100 cash gift certificates.

Still, the main attraction that left the basketball world in awe was the access that was given to fans to connect and meet with their favorite stars.

“For anybody who needs to get something signed for Christmas or for another reason, the players are waiting in Suite C,” Pope told the crowd. “They’re going to sit and sign until you guys are done.”

As mentioned before, Pope has given us plenty of wholesome moments like these even in his short tenure.

Pope has made it a routine to stick around after postgame interviews to sign autographs, chat with fans, and take photos. However, back in December, he had a pre-scheduled meeting and couldn’t do that. And not being there for BBN didn’t sit right with him at all. So instead, he left his credit card at the ice cream stand inside Rupp Arena and told everyone, “It’s on me.”

That generosity didn’t come cheap. Those cones ran about $6.50 each, and the total climbed fast. Not every fan grabbed one, but hundreds did. Do the quick math, around 300 people times $6.50, and you’re already flirting with $2,000 before tax. That’s exactly why Tom Leach later joked about setting the over/under on the Mark Pope Show on KSR radio.

The funniest part? Rupp didn’t give him any special treatment. He got the full “who are you?” experience and paid full price for every cone. What started as a kind gesture turned into a pricey night for Mark Pope and his wife, but Pope didn’t hesitate to say it was absolutely “worth it”.

And this wasn’t a one-off. Just about a month earlier, Pope didn’t leave the building until every single fan who wanted an autograph got one, staying until the arena was empty. That’s how you build a real connection with a fanbase, especially one as passionate as the Kentucky Wildcats faithful.

With the Bellarmine game in the books, the Wildcats now get a brief reset before opening SEC play at Alabama on January 3. Before that, the team will have the next three days off to head home and spend Christmas with their families, a much-needed break that Pope admitted everyone needs, himself included, as he joked about currently being in the doghouse with his wife.

“I think the break is important for us and is really good for us right now,” Pope said. “I need to do a better job as a husband for a couple of days. I’m going to crush it. It’s going to be amazing. Lee Anne (coach’s wife) has no idea what’s in store for her.”

In a season already full of highs and lows, especially around the holidays, one night shifted the focus away from rotations, efficiency, and the next opponent. It was about connection. And as the Wildcats move into the heart of their season, that bond is starting to show, not just in moments like this, but in the way this Kentucky team has responded on the floor so far.

How Mark Pope’s culture-building is starting to show on the floor

While the Wildcats remain unranked in the Week 8 list of the AP Top 25 Men’s College Basketball Poll, they couldn’t have asked for a better ending in the second month of the 2025-26 NCAA season. As the team now heads for the holidays, they ended December with their first win over a ranked team, the St. John’s Red Storm, and their latest victory over the Knights.

With four back-to-back wins, Mark Pope’s team has improved to 9 wins and four losses, but the first two months of the season tested the coach, as even with a $22-million roster, the Wildcats struggled to hold their ground against high-major competition, dropping games to Louisville, Michigan State, and North Carolina.

The lowest point, however, came on December 5, when Kentucky was overwhelmed 94–59 by Gonzaga in Nashville, a loss that reignited concerns about the team’s defensive toughness and overall cohesion.

However, after that, Kentucky’s turnaround began in the CBS Sports Classic, when they erased a halftime deficit to defeat the Red Storm men, which showed a team that is capable of adjusting, responding, and playing with purpose.

Offensively, senior guard Otega Oweh has emerged as the anchor for the team, especially with Jayden Quaintance, who recently returned to the court but was on the sidelines for the last 9 months due to an injury. Oweh has been averaging 14.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game.

But for all the offensive promise, Pope has been clear-eyed about what still isn’t good enough.

After earlier wins this month, he admitted the team doesn’t “really know what it means to compete yet, which is terrifying,” and the defensive inconsistencies remain the biggest concern. Just in their latest game, they allowed Bellarmine to score 85 points, a team well outside the national conversation.

Statistically, Kentucky sits at 83.8 points per game, a top-80 national offense, while averaging 17.8 assists, placing them among the country’s top 50 in ball movement. Yet those numbers haven’t fully translated against elite competition, as they sit with a 1–3 record against ranked opponents.

“They’ve been through a lot emotionally, for sure. They’ve taken some hits, and they’ve responded really, really well. I’m really proud of this group in the sense of how they responded over the last three weeks,” Mark Pope further added.

While the foundation is there, only the upcoming games will tell how the head coach helps his team overcome their shortcomings.