Mark Pope is in his first season at the helm of the Kentucky men’s basketball team. The coach couldn’t have imagined a much better start to his tenure as he has now done something that no Kentucky coach since Adolph Rupp has.

Pope is the first Kentucky coach since Rupp to start 3-0 against top-10 teams. Pope scored his 3rd such win on Saturday as the Wildcats knocked off No. 6 Florida by a score of 106-100.

Mark Pope becomes the first Kentucky coach since Adolph Rupp to win his first three games against AP Top-10 opponents, via @ESPNStatsInfo. Rupp won his first seven such games from 1948-51.

— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) January 4, 2025

The Wildcats’ first win over a top-10 team this season came against No. 6 Duke in November. Then, in December, the Wildcats defeated No. 7 Gonzaga. Overall, Pope is off to a 12-2 start in his first season as the head coach.

Pope’s torrid start putting him in the same company as Rupp is impressive. Rupp, who is the namesake of the Wildcats’ home arena, coached the team from 1930-72. During that time, Rupp compiled an 876-190 record, winning 4 championships, 27 SEC regular season titles, and 13 SEC tournaments.

Pope, meanwhile, returned to his alma mater for the 2024-25 season after spending the previous 6 seasons at BYU. At BYU, Pope compiled a 110-52 record and led the Cougars to 2 NCAA tournaments.

Before coaching, Pope played for the Wildcats from 1994-96. Pope averaged 7.6 points per game for the 1995-96 team that won the NCAA championship. After a successful college career, Pope went on to play professionally overseas and in the NBA for the Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, and Denver Nuggets.

Bryce Lazenby covers college football for Saturday Down South. A Nashville native, his previous stops include FanSided, Dimers, and The Leaf-Chronicle.