Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope lands one of the best players in the transfer portal ahead of arguably the biggest game of his career.

​As the Kentucky Wildcats gear up for their Sweet 16 showdown against the Tennessee Volunteers on Friday, Coach Mark Pope hasn't been shy about his admiration for Tennessee's head coach, Rick Barnes.

READY FOR THE MADNESS TO BEGIN. HI NORMAN. HELLO, JENNIFER. EXCITEMENT AND DEBATE IS ALL OVER THE COMMONWEALTH. AND REALLY, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE EXCITEMENT OF THIS TOURNAMENT, ANYWHERE IN THE ...

In just one year at the helm, Mark Pope has already made a lasting impact on the Kentucky basketball program. While the Wildcats’ season still ended in the third round of the NCAA Tournament, Pope’s impact was felt by every member of the team.

Even with many key injuries to Kentucky's team, Mark Pope believes Kentucky can make a run in the NCAA Tournament.