Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats were eliminated from the NCAA Tournament in the second round.

Mark Pope and the No. 7 seed Kentucky Wildcats escaped the first round with an 89-84 overtime win over the No. 10 seed Santa Clara Broncos, thanks in large part to Otega Oweh’s game-tying, half-court buzzer-beater in regulation. However, Kentucky’s NCAA Tournament run did not last much longer, as it fell to No. 2 seed Iowa State, 82-63, in the second round.

Oweh, Kentucky’s star senior, had another impactful performance against Iowa State, recording 18 points on 8-of-15 shooting, along with eight rebounds and two steals. But it was senior guard Denzel Aberdeen that led the Wildcats in scoring with 20 points. Still, the duo’s efforts were not enough to get past the Cyclones, who were led by Tamin Lipsey’s 26 points.

Pope, after spending five seasons with the BYU Cougars, joined Kentucky ahead of the 2024-25 season following John Calipari’s departure to Arkansas. In his first season leading the Wildcats, Pope and his team earned a No. 3 seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, only to fall to No. 2 seed Tennessee in the Sweet 16. This year, Pope led Kentucky to a lower seed, exiting the tournament one round earlier.

While the 2025-26 college basketball season could have been worse for the Wildcats, the program holds higher expectations than a second-round appearance. In fact, following another early NCAA Tournament exit, many fans are calling for Pope to be fired after just two years as head coach.