Kentucky’s Pope understands the stakes going into first season

Mark Pope just coached his first game as head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats, but he already knows the standards in Lexington are sky-high.

He’s replacing John Calipari, who won the national championship in 2011-12. Even so, Calipari was let go by Kentucky after three straight seasons of March Madness disappointments.

Even a championship win won’t save you in Lexington. After Kentucky’s exhibition game over Kentucky Wesleyan, a 123-52 blowout, Pope said that he feels the pressure.

“You know, I mean, like, we’re deadly serious about winning,” he explained (h/t On3). “Winning matters.”

The new Kentucky head coach even said, in jest, that he’d be in danger the second he loses his first game with the Wildcats.

“We’re here to win. Like, this is Kentucky. The first time we don’t win a game, you guys are all going to go burn my house down, okay,” Pope joked.