Mark Pope gives deflating Kentucky quote that makes the Louisville win even better

Louisville basketball fans are on cloud nine this Wednesday morning as the city of Louisville celebrates a thrilling 96-88 victory over the Kentucky Wildcats. The Cards snapped a three-game losing streak to Kentucky after last night's win, and the feeling is that this program is soaring and is back and better than ever.

Louisville was the better team last night and dominated the Wildcats for the majority of the game. The game wasn't as close as the score suggests, as the Cardinals maintained a double-digit lead for the majority of the second half and reached a 20-point advantage at one point. After the game, Mark Pope spoke to the media, and the Wildcats' head coach provided a deflating comment of Kentucky's current standing, which only serves to make Louisville fans smile from ear to ear and makes the win even sweeter.

Related: 5 thrilling observations from Louisville basketball's massive win over Kentucky

Mark Pope gives deflating answer following loss to Louisville

The Cardinals controlled the pace of this game, forcing the Wildcats to take ill-advised shots and be sloppy with the ball. Kentucky turned the ball over 14 times last night compared to the Cardinals' six, and the Wildcats shot only 35.3 percent from beyond the arc. The Cardinals' intensity clearly bothered Kentucky all night long, and with Louisville being the aggressor, Kentucky struggled to find its comfort zone and play to its strengths.

When Pope was asked about Kentucky's efforts and their ability to come from behind after being down 20 points, Pope's answer will make Louisville fans smile and feel even better about their win.

"That's not the standard for us at Kentucky," Pope stated after the game.

The Wildcats have a roster that costs over $20 million, and Cardinals fans have been trolling Kentucky ever since the clock hit zero and haven't stopped. Pope admitting that Louisville outplayed Kentucky and was the better team last night was exactly what the Cardinals fans wanted to hear. But Pope stating that they aren't playing to their "standard" has now made Kentucky fans furious, as they want him to fix it immediately.

So, now Louisville fans get to listen to Pope state that Kentucky isn't playing to their standard because of their loss to Louisville, and Louisville fans get to watch Kentucky fans complain and get mad at Pope. So, while Kentucky has to make adjustments so they play to its "standard," Louisville and the fans are enjoying this one as they get ready to take on Ohio this Saturday.

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