The Kentucky Wildcats are going all out to attract their fan base to Milwaukee for the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Head coach Mark Pope even offered a nice little financial deal to the fans.
Mark Pope Offers To Pay Gas Money for Kentucky Fans
A recent email that was posted on social media by Kentucky radio host Matt Jones showed that Kentucky head basketball coach Mark Pope is willing to give gas money to Wildcat fans so they can watch their team play in Milwaukee in the first round against Troy.
Mark Pope is actually giving people the money who emailed him for gas money to Milwaukee
H/t @CBeasmoreSports pic.twitter.com/3cIjyxx5mx
— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) March 19, 2025
If Pope ends up pulling it off and can get his fans to Milwaukee, the Wildcats will have all the support they need to take care of business in their opening game.
The third-seeded Wildcats have played well all year, so they should be able to control the tempo and send No. 14 Troy home.
Wildcats Have Reason To Believe This Year
In the first season post-John Calipari, Pope has been able to turn the Wildcats back into title contenders. The team from Lexington won 22 games and was ranked in the top 20 for most of the season.
They have key wins over Duke, Gonzaga, Louisville, Florida, Texas A&M, and Tennessee. Not many teams with 11 losses are given a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but Kentucky has plenty of quality wins to back them up.
Point guard Otega Oweh leads this team in scoring at 16.2 points per game and is a true pest defensively (1.6 steals per game). The Wildcats have five players who are shooting over 35% from three-point range, which should put fear into their opponents.
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If Troy hopes to turn the tide and pull off the upset in what could be a hostile environment, it will need to limit Kentucky’s easy chances. Additionally, they will have to lock up on the perimeter if they want to limit explosive shot-making from Oweh and Co.
All in all, the Wildcats should have a great chance to give their fans who came to support them a great show if they play at their best.
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