While Kentucky was busy earning its way into the Sweet 16, head coach Mark Pope was adding another year onto his Wildcats contract, as well as earning a hefty bonus at the same time. Pope has turned his first season at Kentucky into a successful one by advancing to the second week of the NCAA Tournament following an 84-75 victory over Illinois on Sunday.

I guess I just didn’t know what to expect traveling to Milwaukee last week, arriving on Wednesday ahead of pregame press conferences and open locker rooms for media on Thursday, followed by the long wait to tip-off on Friday.

When the Kentucky Wildcats replaced John Calipari with Mark Pope, the fan base wasn't thrilled. Yes, Pope had the Kentucky connection as a player, and had done