It’s been a rocky beginning to Year 2 of the Mark Pope era at Kentucky. A 4–2 record doesn’t sound alarming on paper, but when you enter the season backed by a jaw-dropping $22 million NIL budget and overhaul the roster with top-tier talent, the bar shoots sky high. Fans expected dominance, not growing pains. And dropping both games against top-25 opponents has only turned the pressure dial up even further.

But help is on the way for Mark Pope.

The crown jewel of Kentucky’s transfer portal acquisitions this season is undoubtedly Jayden Quaintance, the 6-foot-10 center who arrived from Arizona State. He played only 24 games last season before a ruptured ACL cut his season short, and he’s spent every day since fighting his way back through rehab. The day when he gets to put on that iconic Kentucky blue and white jersey might have finally arrived.

Speaking on the postgame radio show with the voice of the Wildcats, Tom Leach, coach Mark Pope finally shared the most encouraging update yet on his star big man. “He’s making real progress,” Pope said via On3. “Now we have him up to — I think I’m allowed to say this, cause I’m the head coach, I can say whatever I want, but so he was actually in two-on-two live drills versus scout team yesterday for the first time ever, and I almost had a heart attack cause I thought he just snuck into the drill. I was like B-Wells (trainer Brandon Wells)! But he was like nope, he’s cleared to do it. So he’s making terrific, terrific progress.”

Earlier this month, the freshman big man had already begun doing 5-on-0 work in practice. Pope said on Nov. 6 that Quaintance had a “really important strength test” coming up three weeks later as per On3 — and now, that moment is less than a week away. Pope added that this test will be one of the final hurdles Quaintance needs to clear before he can officially begin the full ramp-up toward playing in actual games.

Before his ACL injury, Quaintance earned spots on both the Big 12 All-Freshman and All-Defensive teams, becoming just the fifth player in conference history to achieve that feat. He averaged 9.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game in only 29 minutes — all while being the youngest player in college basketball.

He helps solve the defensive issues Mark Pope has struggled with against top-25 opponents this season. Quaintance had 21 games with at least one block last season, including 11 games with three or more. He even produced three five-block performances and added two games with six blocks, showing just how dominant he can be around the rim. So his addition becomes incredibly important for Mark Pope as Kentucky prepares for a tough stretch next month, featuring matchups against North Carolina, Gonzaga, and St. John’s.

We don’t have an exact return date for Quaintance just yet, but ideally, coach Pope will be hoping that by December, he has his star big man fully available and ready to go.

But there’s one more player currently sidelined with an injury, and Mark Pope has provided a fitness update on him as well.

Mark Pope Provides Update on Mo Dioubate’s Injury

Mo Dioubate, another key transfer addition who arrived from Alabama, suffered an ankle injury late in the loss to Michigan State on Tuesday and was forced to sit out Friday’s matchup against Loyola. In his absence, sophomore Kam Williams stepped into the starting lineup while the Cats fans patiently wait for Dioubate’s return. He’s been a regular starter for Kentucky, so getting him back healthy will be important for Pope’s rotation moving forward.

Mark Pope offered a rather uncertain update on the forward’s status. “I don’t know. I’m not sure how soon it will be,” Pope said of Dioubate via On3. “It was a pretty nasty sprain. But I do know he’s tough as nails, so I expect him to be back sooner than most mortals would be able to get back.”

Dioubate was averaging 11.6 points and 5.8 rebounds in 20.4 minutes per game while shooting an impressive 62.2 percent from the field, and with the Wildcats heading into a stretch that will have Quad 1 and Quad 2 opponents, his absence on the hardwood will be felt in a big way. It almost feels like Mark Pope is getting hit with the same injury bug he dealt with last season, but the difference this time is depth. Thanks to a much larger purse, Kentucky actually has the roster pieces to manage these setbacks… at least on paper, they do!

Will Pope take the Wildcats to their first Final Four since 2015? What do you think? Let us know in the comments down below!