Mark Pope is the new head basketball coach at the University of Kentucky. His new (but also old) program’s biggest rival is the University of Louisville.
As the two most prominent in-state programs, they absolutely hate each other.
This could be a problem for Pope! Not because he doesn’t dislike the Cardinals. He played three years for the Wildcats in the late 1990s and won a national title.
The issue lies in what he said this past season.
Texas head coach Rodney Terry threw a temper tantrum after UCF beat his team at home and thew the ‘Horns Down’ hand signal in the Longhorns’ faces. In direct response to the meltdown, A large group of BYU students joined together to troll Terry when Texas traveled to provo.
They wore shirts that said ‘HORNS DOWN’ in the front row of the student section. However, the administration pulled the most cowardly move and required them to change their shirts to ensure that the Cougars did not hurt the Longhorns’ feelings. It was so soft.
Here is where Pope comes into play.
He actually issued an apology to Texas and Terry for the shirts and said that it was “not how we roll.” It was as soft as the administration’s decision to remove the shirts.
Before he left the presser, #BYU coach Mark Pope addressed the Horns Down shirts from the students in the postgame.
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) January 27, 2024
BYU asked the students to remove the shirts. https://t.co/ifPb7OrDLM pic.twitter.com/1ML1xBQV8P
Does Pope’s stance on trolling only apply to BYU? Was he asked to make a statement?
Both of those questions are especially pertinent as the 51-year-old takes over at Kentucky. The Wildcats are going to be even more ruthless toward all of its opponents than the Cougars. Especially the Cardinals.
Is Pope going to demand that the students and fans do not throw ‘Ls Down’ like he did Horns Down? Is that not how Kentucky rolls? Because it absolutely is!
Check out this legend, who threw ‘Ls Down’ in enemy territory during the football season:
Heck, even running back Ray Davis threw ‘Ls Down’ directly in the face of rapper Jack Harlow.
Football and basketball are different sports, but the fanbase is the same. They’re going to throw ‘Ls Down’ when they’re playing Louisville and sometimes when they aren’t playing Louisville…
Surely Mark Pope is not going to stand for such behavior! He must disavow ‘Ls Down’ like he disavowed ‘Horns Down’ at BYU! He must!