Mark Pope is a man of the people. We know this. He’s stuck around for hours following games at Rupp Arena, signing every autograph and taking every picture until every member of Big Blue Nation left satisfied.

Kentucky's Mark Pope started his coaching career at Rupp Arena with 11 straight wins. How does that start compare to other first-year UK coaches?

Mark Pope left BYU 10 months ago to return to his alma mater Kentucky, where he plied his craft at the direction of legendary coach Rick Pitino. Now, as head coach roaming the sidelines of Rupp Arena, that leap of faith is paying off big time.