Like Chris Berman at the Home Run Derby, Kentucky basketball is BACK, back, back, back, baaaaaaaaaaaaaaack.
The 41-point win over Wright State was a refreshing, wonderfully exciting, and entertaining event. I could use more adjectives, but you don’t need more flowery language.
As fun as it was, it always takes me some time to adjust to the sport of college basketball. My brain — both frontal cortex and limbic system — has been waist-deep into football. It’s not just the pacing. We’re still getting to know this brand-new team and how they will operate until April.
While deciphering rotations and tendencies can be a bit heady, there are other things that really pop when you watch the Wildcats on TV.
First and foremost, Kentucky basketball coaches wear suits at Rupp Arena in the Mark Pope era. Someone once told me that I should never care about what another man wears. That person is an idiot. Just as MLB managers have to wear uniforms in the dugout in order to be quality coaches, a good college basketball coach wears a suit.
Was Dan Hurley wearing a pullover when he won back-to-back titles? Of course not. Coach Kryzewsskiosdfskwiiiy never rocked a quarter-zip while winning a title. If you want to climb John Wooden’s pyramid of success, you gotta dress like it and Mark Pope is doing exactly that.
I have been alerted that in the past Pope changes his wardrobe for road games. At BYU, he left the suits at home and just brought a pullover. We’ll give that a pass, for now. If they start losing away from Rupp, get ready to pay a higher dry-cleaning bill, Coach.
There’s one more big change in the Kentucky basketball wardrobe. Ahead of the 2023-24 season, the NCAA made a rule change, allowing players to wear whatever number they desire. They were previously restricted to only numerals between 0-5.
Last year’s Kentucky basketball roster did not have any players with NBA numbers. Mark Pope’s Kentucky basketball team is getting really tricky with it.
Andrew Carr — 7
Trent Noah — 9
Kerr Kriisa — 77
The No. 7 and No. 9 are easy on the eyes, but my brain hiccups every time I see “Kerr” atop No. 77 on a Kentucky basketball jersey. Kriisa is not the first Wildcat to wear that number. Before numbers were standardized and limited, Harold Hurst wore the number in 1955 a few years after the seven-foot Bill Spivey made No. 77 famous.
These are incredibly important wardrobe changes. Do you hate ’em or love ’em? Join the conversation on KSBoard. It’s only $1 for seven days and 50% off your first year if you join now.
