Kentucky: "I hate this Pat Kelsey": Mark Pope goes on a hilarious rant about Kentucky-Louisville rivalry getting "heated" in the upcoming season

The Kentucky and Louisville rivalry is in a new era, one that some fans have found disappointing.

Last season, both programs were taken over by new coaches when Mark Pope became the head coach at Kentucky and Pat Kelsey started leading Louisville. In their inaugural seasons, Kelsey and Pope were nothing but nice to one another. The two coaches' tame behavior didn't live up to John Calipari and Rick Pitino's iconic rivalry.

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Pope appeared on Kentucky Sports Radio on Thursday, and host Matt Jones playfully asked the Wildcats coach to bring the intensity of the rivalry back.

“I hate this Pat Kelsey and all of those Louisville fans! Hate ’em!” Pope joked. “What’s actually super cool is that I got a boatload of respect for Pat Kelsey. I think what he did last year was incredible. And, I mean, two of my [BYU] guys played for him last year.

“… I don’t have a ton of interaction with the Louisville fanbase, but I’m sure they’re great. But here’s the thing, the one thing I would say is that I actually think that this Kentucky-Louisville thing is just going to get heated and heated because it’s going to be back to being like [No.] 1 versus [No.] 4 in the country.”

It seems like the Kentucky and Louisville rivalry will soon be heating up again, despite the respect Pope has for Kelsey.

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Mark Pope's Kentucky to play against Rick Pitino in Christmas matchup

Something exciting is coming for Kentucky fans. Mark Pope's Wildcats will go against Rick Pitino's St. John's squad in the CBS Sports Classic this holiday season.

"I think we should give the Johnnies and all of BBN the greatest Christmas gift on Dec. 20 in Catlanta, what do you say?" Pope asked Pitino in a video shared by CBS Sports on Instagram.

Pitino is a Kentucky legend. He led the Wildcats to the 1996 national championship with Pope as his team captain.

"It feels like it was about seven, eighteyears ago that we won the championship," Pitino said. "I coached one of the greatest teams in the history of the game, and you were the captain. And now, we get to coach against each other.

Kentucky's rivalry with Louisville may no longer live up to the days when Pitino and Calipari led the two teams, but Wildcats fans can keep up with Pitino when he and Mark Pope clash in an exciting holiday contest.

About the author

Lindsey Ware is a college sports journalist at Sportskeeda with over five years of experience working with publications such as The News & Observer, The Daily Tar Heel, Triangle Tribune and Cardiac Cane. She has also worked for Major League Baseball, The Holly Springs Salamanders, The Tri-City Chili Peppers, Tuffy Talk, Super Meteors Basketball, Just Good Network and Living Sport.

Lindsey has a Bachelor’s Degree in Media and Journalism from UNC Chapel Hill. Her education allowed Lindsey to gain experience in sports communication, which she honed in internships. Other than being a storyteller and sports fanatic, Lindsey is also a social media and marketing specialist.

Her favorite college team is UNC, although she grew up a N.C. State fan as both of her parents are Wolfpack alumni. Michael Jordan was a huge deal in North Carolina when Lindsey was growing up, and after a summer spent at UNC’s Sports Journalism Camp back in high school, Lindsey was set on being a Tar Heel.

Lindsey's favorite college coach of all time is Roy Williams. During her time attending UNC Chapel Hill and writing for The Daily Tar Heel, Lindsey was lucky enough to meet and speak with Williams a few times. He was like a celebrity on UNC’s campus and was beloved for his coaching style and success with the Tar Heels, accumulating three NCAA championship titles in 18 years.

When not watching or writing about sports, Lindsey enjoys reading, trying new restaurants and coffee shops, and spending time with my friends, family and dog. She also likes to journal, watch movies and paint.

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Edited by Victor R. Lopez M.