When you start a season with the most expensive roster in college basketball history, expectations are sky-high. But Mark Pope’s second year has been anything but that. Kentucky have now lost two straight and three of its last five, and the noise around his future at the blue-blood program is only getting louder.

Jeff Goodman of the Field of 68: After Dark podcast addressed the current situation surrounding Mark Pope’s future.

“I don’t see this team all of a sudden flipping the switch. Even with getting Jayden Quaintance back, I don’t think they’re going to be able to. So is Mark Pope on the hot seat?” Goodman said. “I will say this, if this season ends up being a complete shit show, he will go into year three on the hot seat… But he will have one more year to figure this thing out and get them back on track to where they’re at Kentucky, and he’s not going to have $22 million next year.”

When Kentucky hired Pope two years ago, the one thing the Wildcats were supposed to be able to count on was an efficient offense built around skilled playmakers and floor-spacing shooters. That’s what Kentucky basketball has always been known for. But this season has been a different story.

Their only true point guard has been dealing with injury issues, and without him, the offense has struggled to look anything like what fans expected.

This Kentucky team just can’t shoot. Against Gonzaga, the Wildcats missed their first 10 shots of the game and didn’t make a field goal until their 15th possession. Those first 14 trips down the floor included seven missed threes, five turnovers, and several shots that weren’t even close to the basket.

By the time Kentucky finally made a shot, a corner three from Denzel Aberdeen with 11:04 left in the first half, Gonzaga had already pushed the lead to 19–2. The Cats never got the margin under 12 points again and lost 94–59, their worst defeat since 1990. Experiencing the same shooting woes against North Carolina as well.

That wasn’t the only problem, though.

Against Gonzaga, Kentucky got bullied all night — outrebounded 43–31, outscored 46–18 in the paint, and even beaten 32–19 in bench points. It was a complete physical mismatch from start to finish.

In a game where Kentucky desperately needed to fight, scrap, and show even a flicker of life before Christmas, the Wildcats delivered the complete opposite. It was such a flat, lifeless performance that the entire Bridgestone Arena booed them off at halftime, with the Cats trailing 43–20.

Expectations are always sky-high for a program with eight national championships. Pope brought fresh hope last season by leading Kentucky to the Sweet 16 and finishing 24–12 in his debut year.

Then came the big exhibition win over Purdue in October, which had fans excited about what’s to come this season. But the brutal non-conference schedule hasn’t done Pope any favors, and Jeff Goodman doesn’t see this team turning things around anytime soon.

Kentucky is 5–4, and every loss has come against a ranked opponent, which only adds to the concern.

One former Kentucky star wasn’t happy with the performance either.

Mark Pope Addresses Cousins’ Criticism of the Wildcats

After the loss to Gonzaga, former Wildcat DeMarcus Cousins didn’t hold back, tweeting that Kentucky basketball “has no heart” and calling the team “hard to watch.” The surprising part was that Pope actually agreed with him.

“As a former player, I’m pissed at the coach too, and that’s just all deserved,” Mark Pope said in the post-game press conference. “There’s nothing inappropriate about what he said at all.”

Well, regardless of what the coach says, the fans are starting to lose patience. Yes, Jayden Quaintance and Mouhamed Dioubate are out injured, and Lowe only just returned against Gonzaga to play a few minutes. Their absence has clearly hurt the team a lot.

Top Stories

Ravens’ Lamar Jackson Demands Short-Term Contract Away From NFL on Thursday

‘RIP’: NASCAR World Crumbles in Tears as 39-YO Former JR Motorsports Driver Passes Away

NASCAR President Kicks Up ‘SRX’ Firestorm With Courtroom Claim Fans Refuse to Accept

Watch: Scottie Scheffler Left Stunned as the Ball Betrays Him

Yankees Offensive Free agency Ends Early as Cody Bellinger-Kyle Tucker Pursuit Ends Before Beginning: ESPN Insider

Who are Fernando Mendoza’s Parents? All about Elsa Mendoza and Fernando Mendoza

But even with all that, when you spend $22 million, you expect a deep and talented roster. And right now, the Cats simply don’t have it.

Will Quaintance’s return be enough to turn things around for the Kentucky Wildcats? What do you think? Let us know in the comments below, as Coach Pope continues searching for ways to fix this broken offense.