Kentucky coach Mark Pope promised a radical reaction after the Wildcats fell out of the AP Top 25 Poll after a blowout loss to the No. 8 Gonzaga Bulldogs last week. He responded by benching Kam Williams and Jaland Lowe for the first half of the Wildcats’ 103-67 win over the North Carolina Central Eagles on Tuesday evening.
Pope grabbed headlines when he benched forward Brandon Garrison in the first half and did not play him for the rest of the game. After losing the ball, Garrison casually jogged back in transition, allowing an Eagles player a free dunk, which led the embattled Kentucky coach to call a timeout and berate the forward.
Kentucky Fans React to Mark Pope’s Brandon Garrison Decision
Kentucky fans on X were fully behind Pope’s decision to sit Garrison for the rest of the game.
“Isn’t this what we have been waiting for out of Pope,” one fan tweeted.
“First time I’ve seen some heart out of Mark Pope. I approve of this,’ another fan wrote.
“Pope called a time-out immediately and Garrison never went in the game again. Not another second,” one fan wrote.
“He don’t care got his money. Let him run laps in practice and ride the bench the remainder of the year,” another fan opined.
“That’s what I like to see from coach pope,” one fan approved.
Garrison finished the game against NC Central with five points and two assists in seven minutes played before being sat.
Analyst Supports Pope’s Decision on Garrison
During an appearance on the “Kentucky Sports Radio” show after the game, analyst Zack Geoghegan was livid with Garrison’s performance, and he fully supported Pope’s decision to bench the forward.
“I’m tired of watching Brandon Garrison play,” Geoghegan said. “I don’t say stuff like this very often, but Brandon Garrison should never play another minute for Kentucky. It’s ridiculous with him right now. He is not playing hard, he is not giving a full effort.”
“It’s very obvious, even Mark Pope thought the same tonight… did not like what we saw out of Brandon Garrison, glad Mark Pope benched him.”
Garrison transferred from the Oklahoma State Cowboys, where he spent his freshman season and despite not being a starter for Pope during his first season in charge of Kentucky, he averaged 17.3 minutes per game.
The forward has averaged 5.7 points on 59% shooting from the floor and 33.3% shooting from beyond the arc, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.4 assists for the Wildcats this season.
