Kentucky is asking Pope to take on a hard job under circumstances likely to make his task more difficult.
Even with all that, there are some things Kentucky backers should keep in mind:
After Roy Williams stepped down as North Carolina head man, the Tar Heels elevated an assistant, Hubert Davis, with no head-coaching experience.
When Mike Krzyzewski hung up his whistle at Duke, the Blue Devils replaced him with an assistant, Jon Scheyer, who had never been a college head coach.
Following the end of Jim Boeheim’s long reign as Syracuse coach, the Orange turned to an assistant, Adrian Autry, who had never been a college head man.