Mark Pope was livid. After getting booed off the floor in Nashville and questioned by DeMarcus Cousins, Pope demanded his team “burn white” with competitiveness ahead of their NC Central matchup. The team responded, atleast on paper. Jasper Johnson scored a career high 22 points as Kentucky rolled past North Carolina Central with a 103-67 win. The Kentucky boss remains unsatisfied with the team despite the 36-point rout. 

“I was disappointed in our defense tonight. I was disappointed with the fouls. I was disappointed with the late gap help. I was disappointed with our ball screen pressure,” he said after the game.  “We need to be way more up the line, way more aggressive to turn a guy around, rather than let him just kind of pick us apart.” 

The premier example of the lax attitude came with Brandon Garrison. Just 7 minutes into the first half, Brandon Garrisson was caught sleeping. He turned over the ball and jogged back to defense, conceding an easy transition bucket. Pope slapped his board and immediately called a timeout. Pope immediately told him, “Go sit down,” benching him on the spot, and he never played in the game again. 67 points don’t seem too many points to concede until you look at the opponent. NC Central scores just 70.8 points per game, which is inflated by two 100+ beatdowns over much weaker teams. 

“I felt like our third defender was hit or miss, and they did a nice job spacing the floor where the floor was really overloaded, and so you just have your third defender just naked on the weak side, and we have to make that play. We didn’t tonight for the most part,” Pope explained. 

Cohesion in this newly built team remains an issue. The injuries don’t help either. Jaland Lowe is just getting back, and Mo Dioubate is now out too. Defense is usually a team effort, and unless Pope has every gear in his system working, it will be difficult defend against any team. High-calibre teams can just take advantage because the communication is not there. 

“There’s a lot of room for us to grow. We’ve got to clean up the fouls. We have to clean up the gap help. We’ve got to take some pride in keeping guys in front of us. If we’re going to be a really good team in competitive games, those are spaces where we have to grow,” Pope said. 

Pope doesn’t have to wait long for some real competition. They face Indiana next and then St.John’s soon after. A couple of good results and momentum can swing towards Kentucky and Mark Pope. Even the fans who are currently pretty negative could change tune if the performance comes. Pope still needs a solution, and Trent Noah could be a big part of it. 

Trent Noah Could Be The Solution Mark Pope Is Looking For

After vowing to shake things up, Mark Pope made a noticeable change in his lineup. Kam Williams was off to the bench, and Trent Noah was awarded his second start of the season. Safe to say, he delivered for Pope. He had 11 points on 3-6 from three, including 6 rebounds and 3 assists in 26 minutes in a starting role. Not just that, but the offense was clicking with him on the floor, especially in the first half. While Pope admitted he is not yet completely sharpened, he gives him something Pope is practically begging from his team: effort. 

“Trent is not a perfect player, and there are some things complicated for them in areas of the game where he struggles,” Pope said. “ He’s all in, he’s fully invested, and he’s going to give everything he’s got all of the time on the floor, and he’s pretty effective, and I thought he was good tonight.” 

This team needs some hustle and heart, something Noah doesn’t lack. He can inspire the rest of the squad as well. “He’s a really important part of this team, and he’s got a chance to grow into a terrific player and great leader, and I’m proud of him. And just like all of our guys, he’s trying to figure it out.”

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There is no shortage of talent on this roster. $22 million has been spent to build this team, with Pope handpicking each player. It just hasn’t clicked yet. Pope needs to find his ideal rotation, players that fulfill each of the qualities he wants. Noah fits a particular archetype Pope needs on the roster.