The morale in Lexington, Kentucky, isn’t too high right now. After a disappointing 2025-26 season for Kentucky basketball in year two under Mark Pope, he lost a lot of favor among the Wildcats’ fan base. With the pressure on to land a top-end portal class, he’s swung and missed at a lot of his top targets.
So far, Kentucky has lost seven players to the transfer portal, with six landing at Power Four schools and three staying in the SEC. In response, Pope has picked up four transfers. The group ranks 14th in the country, which isn’t bad, but UK has publicly targeted the likes of big-name transfers Rob Wright and Donnie Freeman and five-star freshman Tyran Stokes, landing none.
There’s still time for Pope to add some significant additions to right the ship, but you’d think in the meantime, he’d keep his head down and stay out of the public eye. That’s where you’d be wrong, though. Instead, he took to his X account to request fans to ask him questions that he’ll spend the next couple of days answering.
“Big Blue Nation, it’s been a busy six weeks, and I’ve missed you,” Pope said in the video attached to the post. “It’s time to talk some hoops, so drop a question below, and I’ll hit you back. Go Cats.”
BBN I want to talk!
Drop your questions in the comments, and I’ll spend the next couple of days answering them 👇 pic.twitter.com/twrdVeEZKj
— Mark Pope (@CoachMarkPope) May 5, 2026
More From RTI: College Basketball Pundit Shuts Down Co-Host’s Criticism of Tennessee’s Transfer Portal Haul
As you’d expect, the comments on the video have been flooded by fans of opposing programs trolling Pope and the Kentucky program. So far, over 16 hours since the video was posted, he has not responded to any questions.
What makes this portal season sting even more for Kentucky isn’t just its own shortcomings, though. The Wildcats’ top two rivals, Tennessee and Louisville, have had immense success at the cost of UK.
According to 247, the Cardinals have the No. 1 portal class, while the Vols are just a step behind at No. 2. For Tennessee, it just landed the biggest fish in the portal, as well, Wake Forest guard Juke Harris, who ranks as the top player in the entire portal on On3.
