The Kentucky Wildcats recently concluded their first season under head coach Mark Pope. Kentucky hired Mark Pope after parting ways with longtime head coach John Calipari, who now leads the Arkansas Razorbacks.

If you ask almost any Kentucky fan, they’d say that year one of the Mark Pope era was a success. Kentucky tied an NCAA record for most wins against AP Top 15 foes, beat several rivals, and advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2019;

Four-star forward Braydon Hawthorne committed to Kentucky on Tuesday, giving coach Mark Pope a late addition to his 2025 recruiting class. Hawthorne, the No. 33 overall player in the 2025 class by 247Sports,