It is absurd that Mark Pope was left off of the Midseason Coach of the Year Watch List

It is rather unexpected that Mark Pope was left off of the Naismith Midseason Coach of the Year Watch List. For comparison, the list of 15 coaches who will be vying for the honour at the end of the season includes fellow first-year coach Pat Kelsey of in-state foe Louisville.

Mark Pope has given Kentucky the most victories over the top 15 collegiate basketball teams in his first season there, which is also the most against the top 15 teams in the program’s history. Pope has pulled together an amazing CV in his first season at Kentucky. Among the Wildcats’ top 25 victories are victories over Duke, Gonzaga, Florida, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, and Tennessee twice. In addition, Louisville—whom the Wildcats defeated in December—is currently ranked #25 in the country.

Three of Kentucky’s remaining five opponents to finish the regular season are rated in the top 25, so they still have a few more opportunities to continue building their credentials. The Wildcats will finish the season on the road against #15 Missouri, #1 Auburn, and #4 Alabama in Tuscaloosa on Saturday. In addition to having one of the strongest credentials in all of college basketball, Kentucky has been battling injuries for several weeks. Dennis Gates, Greg Gard, Pat Kelsey, Tom Izzo, Penny Hardaway, Bruce Pearl, Todd Golden, Grant McCasland, Matt Painter, Jon Scheyer, Dusty May, Dusty Sampson, and Ben McCollum are among the coaches on the list.

It’s shocking that Mark Pope isn’t among the 15 coaches who should win the National Coach of the Year Award.

This item was syndicated with permission after initially appearing on Kentucky Wildcats on SI.

After a Michigan star’s night was severely ruined on Friday by the Michigan State Spartans’ victory over in-state rival Michigan, Tom Izzo was completely without regret. After Friday’s game, Wolverines centre Vlad Goldin proposed to his girlfriend on the court at Crisler Arena. However, that game ended in a 75-62 Spartan triumph, which was probably not how Goldin had the evening planned. During his appearance on ESPN’s “College GameDay” on Saturday, host Rece Davis asked Michigan State coach Tom Izzo if he felt awful for ruining Goldin’s engagement. Izzo’s answer was ideal: “I wish the couple well, but I have a game to win.” Izzo remarked, “I’m not bothered by it at all.” “I hope everything works out for him and her, but am I ruining their moment? No, it isn’t appropriate here. I hope the best for him. Right now, my only concern will be winning the game, but I hope he has a wonderful marriage and spends 70 years with me. That’s the ideal response in any circumstance, particularly a competitive one. The matchup on Friday was significant for both programs. Even though they still have important games against Wisconsin and Maryland to come, the Spartans’ victory puts them in control of their own fate in the Big Ten title battle. Additionally, they must play Michigan once more, but this time in East Lansing. Izzo will undoubtedly disappoint everyone who expects him to be lenient with anyone, especially Michigan. The query was likely posed because it still received a humorous answer. At least Goldin could claim that his game was good. In the loss, he scored 21 points, and he and his new fiancée should have a good future.

The Carolina Hurricanes made a significant contract offer to Mikko Rantanen, but they haven’t heard back, NHL source Elliotte Friedman disclosed Thursday. Last week, Mikko Rantanen played for his native Finland in the Four Nations faceoff event, but he left without winning anything since Canada defeated the US in the championship match. During the hiatus, he apparently engaged in some business with his NHL team, though. The Hurricanes held lengthy discussions with Rantanen and his agent throughout the tournament, but they were unable to reach an agreement on a contract extension, according to NHL source Elliotte Friedman. Additionally, Friedman disclosed that Mikko Rantanen has not yet responded to the Carolina Hurricanes’ big deal offer. Because of this, it appears that the organisation could actually be considering dealing the winger before the trade deadline next month. In order to reduce his cap to a pitiful 2.3 million dollars, Friedman stressed that the Hurricanes should have no trouble keeping his pay. We’ll see where this goes. During the Four Nations, the Hurricanes and Rantanen had discussions. His cap hit with the Hurricanes is 4.625 million, thus it would be just over 2.3 million if they were to flip Rantanen. This is consistent with the information we have been receiving on this matter from other insiders. For instance, fellow expert Frank Seravalli has stated publicly that he would not be surprised if Rantanen were traded by the Hurricanes at the trade deadline. Although he is not usually regarded as an insider, former NHL player Paul Bissonnette has strong ties to players around the league and has stated that Rantanen has no intention of re-signing with Carolina. In the upcoming weeks, Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky may have a very tough job because of these claims, but all of a sudden, his club is the talk of the NHL. So, make sure to watch the Carolina Hurricanes because they may land another big contract.

Coach Jon Cooper called on his team to win the game on the bench moments before Team Canada defeated Team USA in an exciting 4 Nations Face-Off final. Cooper paired Mitch Marner and Connor McDavid together late in the game, and it paid off with the OT victory, despite some chemistry problems earlier in the tournament. Jon Cooper may be seen on camera announcing McDavid’s victory in overtime. Jon Cooper gave McDavid and Marner instructions to come on the ice, “be selfish,” and win the game in an amazing video that was captured by Team Canada’s bench mic. It demonstrates Canada’s coach’s immense skill and faith in McDavid’s ability to call out those two players in particular, who were playing brilliantly in the closing minutes of the game after a sluggish start. Mitch Marner delivered a great pass to Connor McDavid, who was alone in front, just as Cooper called it, and McDavid missed a perfect chance to win the game. Mitch Marner had to be moved down the lineup earlier in the tournament because he didn’t seem to be able to get along with McDavid. On the bench, the two were once observed engaging in a contentious discussion. Fans tend to overanalyse some situations, but in this case, it appears like both outstanding players, Mitch Marner and Connor McDavid, were giving it their all in an attempt to win for Canada. After all, McDavid and Marner have been friends and rivals for a long time. For Connor McDavid, who has a typical humble response to his amazing goal, it was a beautiful night. McDavid’s career took a significant turn at that point, and maybe he can bring these winning ways back to the Oilers.

Luka Doncic placed a team on his shoulders and guided them to the NBA Finals the previous season. This year, who’s to say he can’t do it again? Doncic’s effort against the Nuggets on Saturday was one of those that might leave the Lakers reeling. Crazy ideas such as “Why not us?” Los Angeles put on its best show since acquiring the five-time All-NBA player from the Mavericks in early February, defeating the Nuggets 123-100. Doncic finished the first quarter with 16 points, four rebounds, three assists, one steal, and one block, showcasing his whole skill set. Doncic made five out of eleven shots from the floor, including two out of four from beyond the arc. Doncic made a full-court pass to teammate LeBron James less than two minutes into the game, which resulted in a simple breakaway slam dunk. Five minutes later, he made a 27-foot pull-up to give the Lakers a five-point lead, 21-16. Doncic scored his highest points as a Laker, 32, towards the end of the game. He averaged 14.7 points per game on 35.6 percent shooting (20.7 percent from three-point range) in his unlucky first three purple and gold contests. For his 169th career game with at least 30 points, five rebounds, and five assists—the most among active players since the beginning of the 2018–19 season—Doncic added 10 rebounds and seven assists. (Source: Stathead) Los Angeles should feel much more confident after the victory. At least 20 points were scored by four players. As of Saturday, the Nuggets (37-20, third in the Western Conference) have won nine straight games, seven of them by double digits. The Lakers (34-21, seventh in the Western Conference) continue to have significant issues, chief among them being their frontcourt. Nuggets centre Nikola Jokic recorded a triple-double (12 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists), as Denver outscored Los Angeles 45-39. If the clubs meet in the playoffs, Doncic’s excellence will be accentuated along with those problems. In the Mavs’ journey to the NBA Finals the previous season, he averaged 28.9 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 8.1 assists per game. In the playoffs, he has averaging 30.9 points per game, which is higher than his regular-season average of 28.5 points per game. Furthermore, he is coupled with what is perhaps the greatest player in NBA history. In his age-40 season, James continues to defy reason. He recorded 25 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and a team-high three blocks against the Nuggets one game after he had 40 points in a 110-102 victory against the Trail Blazers. Can Doncic and James guide the Lakers past the challenging Western Conference? It’s good to beat the Nuggets, but nobody could stop the Thunder. Stranger events have nevertheless occurred, such as the Mavericks selling Doncic to the Lakers. We ought to be wise enough not to rule it out.