Kentucky head coach Mark Pope was feeling the weight of history before his first Battle of the Bluegrass matchup against Louisville, a game the Wildcats won 93-85. The night before the big game, Pope woke up in a cold sweat, recalling a painful loss from his junior year.
In 1995, Pope’s Wildcats suffered an agonizing 88-86 defeat at Freedom Hall to the Cardinals. Reflecting on that heart-wrenching loss, Pope spoke about the emotional bus ride home to Lexington. “It was like locked away in my memory, but it all came rushing back,” Pope admitted, describing how the long ride with coach Rick Pitino after that close loss left him “in a full-on, teary-eyed sweat.”
Despite the haunting memories, Pope’s first Battle of the Bluegrass as head coach ended on a high note, as Kentucky secured the win in front of a passionate Rupp Arena crowd. With this victory, Pope now gets to write his own chapter in the storied rivalry — one that, for him, erased the sting of 1995.
