Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope leaves no doubt how he feels about Tennessee Vols head coach Rick Barnes
The Kentucky Wildcats and the Tennessee Vols will meet in the Sweet 16 on Friday night in Indianapolis for a chance to advance to the Elite Eight. This will be the third meeting this season between the two teams. Kentucky won the first two matchups against Tennessee thanks in large part to a couple of […]
The Kentucky Wildcats and the Tennessee Vols will meet in the Sweet 16 on Friday night in Indianapolis for a chance to advance to the Elite Eight.
This will be the third meeting this season between the two teams. Kentucky won the first two matchups against Tennessee thanks in large part to a couple of great shooting nights.
On Thursday, Kentucky head coach Mark Pope met with reporters in Indianapolis and he made it clear that despite the intense rivalry between the Wildcats and the Volunteers, he has a significant amount of respect for UT head coach Rick Barnes.
"Rick Barnes is, if not the best, one of the best coaches in all of college basketball right now," said Pope. "He's one of the people that I really, really admire. I admire him because he puts together great teams every year. And I admire him because, everything I know about him, he's a way better man than he is a basketball coach. When you're one of the best basketball coaches, that's saying a lot about him.
"I think he lives his life by a moral code and a moral compass. And I think he sets an incredible example for the rest of us in the profession. I think he sets a great example for everybody. I don't know what advantage comes from it (playing Tennessee twice already this season), I just know it's two great teams playing together in the Sweet 16, trying to get to the Elite Eight. And that's exactly what you would expect at this point in the tournament. We can't wait to get to it."
There likely isn't a coach in college basketball that's more well-respected than Barnes. He's an incredible person and an elite basketball coach.
I imagine there a lot of non-Kentucky and non-Tennessee fans who will be rooting for Barnes to find a way to win his first national championship.
