Pope Update

UK was flattened at home on Senior Day by the dominant team in the SEC, Florida.  The Gators jumped out to an 11-0 lead and were never challenged.  They led by 17 at the half, but eased up down the stretch, allowing UK to make the final score a less embarrassing 84 to 77.  The Cats finish with a record of 10-8 in the SEC and 19-12 overall.  They are ranked 27 on Ken Pom, and in SEC play they outscored their opponents by 10 points:  1,414 to 1,404.  They played 80 minutes of basketball against Florida, and never held the lead.  They will be seeded 9th in the SEC Tournament, where they will play LSU on Wednesday.  I believe that this will be the lowest seed UK has ever had in the SEC Tournament.  And yet, they will probably still get into the NCAA Tournament -- which means that Mark Pope is coming back for another year.  So, from the perspective of the UK Athletics Department, it's been an almost perfect season.

Credit to Vandy, which went to Knoxville on the last day of the season and beat Tennessee 86 to 82.  Vandy is ranked 13 on Ken Pom.  In the entire Ken Pom database -- going back to 1997 -- the highest Vandy has ever finished is 16 -- which was their mark in 2012.  I think Todd Golden or Mark Byington should be the SEC Coach of the Year.

According to Ken Pom, Vandy's point guard -- a sophomore named Tyler Tanner -- was the best player in the SEC this year.  I agree with that.  Here's Ken-Pom's all-conference team:

1.  Tyler Tanner, Vanderbilt (sophomore)

2.  Darius Acuff, Arkansas (freshman)

3.  Alex Condon, Florida (junior)

4.  Labaron Philon, Alabama (sophomore)

5.  Thomas Haugh, Florida (junior)

The last Kentucky player to make Ken-Pom's all-conference team was Oscar Tshiebwe in 2023.

Here are the final standings, along with each team's seed in the SEC Tournament:

1.  Florida:  16-2

2.  Alabama:  13-5

3.  Arkansas:  13-5

4.  Vanderbilt:  11-7

5.  Tennessee:  11-7

6.  Texas A & M:  11-7

7.  Georgia:  10-8

8.  Missouri:  10-8

9.  Kentucky:  10-8

10.  Texas:  9-9

11.  Oklahoma:  7-11

12.  Auburn:  7-11

13.  Mississippi St:  5-13

14.  S. Carolina:  4-12

15.  Mississippi:  4-12

16.  Louisiana St:  3-15

Ken Pom has UK beating LSU 79 to 74, but there's a 31 percent chance the Tigers will pull the upset.  That would be awkward for the Powers That Be in Lexington, but it would be unlikely to change their minds.