Mark Pope is getting ready to begin his first season as the head coach of the Kentucky basketball program, and his first roster has the making of a team that can make a deep tournament run. Since the age of the transfer portal and NIL, college basketball is getting older, and Kentucky has finally caught up to that trend under Coach Pope.

In the NCAA Tournament, the most important thing for a team to make a deep run is guard play. Guards being able to make smart decisions with the ball and score helps teams stay alive in the tournament, and the Wildcats have that this season.

Lamont Butler and Kerr Kriisa will be the two main ball handlers for the Wildcats this season, and they have combined to play eight seasons of college basketball, and both of them have made runs in the tournament. This is going to be a massive advantage for the Kentucky Wildcats in the tournament.

Coach Pope has a lot of excellent shooters on the 2024-25 roster, and the duo of Butler and Kriisa will be able to get these elite shooters open looks all season long. This will help the Wildcats all year long, but if the threes are falling in March, the college basketball world needs to watch out for the Wildcats.

This is going to be a special season of basketball in Lexington, where Kentucky fans will see a new brand of basketball. Coach Pope’s style of play will be a lot of fun for Big Blue Nation.