Mark Pope’s already forgettable season at Kentucky could be heading for disaster, with experts now predicting a stunning NCAA Tournament upset.

Kentucky’s 10-8 conference play record derailed their recovery after a poor start to the season. And the Quarterfinal exit from the SEC Tournament didn’t help the NCAA Bracket seeding much. The Selection Committee handed Mark Pope and his men the 7 seed, which sets up a first-round matchup against the Santa Clara Broncos in the NCAA Tournament. According to American sportscaster John Fanta, though, Kentucky could face an upset at the hands of Santa Clara in what is supposed to be one of the more competitive brackets in recent times.

“We’re going to have a couple double-digit seeds win that this week that make you say, ‘Holy cow, the upset will return,'” Fanta said on The Old Man and The Three podcast. “I’ll throw you a fastball right off the bat. Santa Clara, the Broncos, with a top 25 offense in the sport, are going to knock off the Kentucky Wildcats in the first round.”

While Santa Clara plays in a comparably less competitive conference in the WCC, the Broncos have a better overall record than Kentucky, and have had a deeper conference tournament run than Mark Pope & co. To add to it, the Broncos’ scoring differential is better than Kentucky’s for the current season.

Christian Hammond has taken a wondrous leap in terms of on-court contribution in his sophomore year. The Santa Clara guard dropped 24 points in 33 minutes in their WCC Tournament Final loss to Gonzaga in a match where his teammates couldn’t find consistent buckets from the field.

Kentucky’s starts in crucial games have to be better, and Mark Pope will focus on tightening the defense ahead of their NCAA Tournament opener. But for them to have a deep run in the National Tournament, Pope will rely on their heavily invested roster to find its boots of consistency once again.

Mark Pope could face the heat if Kentucky falters in the NCAA Tournament

The Kentucky Wildcats parted ways with John Calipari and brought in Mark Pope for better fortunes on the court. However, the two coaches have had such contrasting journeys since Kentucky’s decision. While Pope prepared for the NCAA Tournament after an early SEC Tournament exit, Calipari took his Arkansas Razorbacks team to the SEC Championship.

SEC Football Unlimited hosts talked about Mark Pope and Kentucky in their latest episode about the NCAA Tournament.

“You want to be Kentucky’s coach? You get the reins of a tradition-rich program with an elite fan base and excellent resources. You also get the maximum pressure. Calipari’s success at Arkansas does Pope no favors,” said John Adams before Blake Toppmeyer added, “Pope is good for now, but an early exit paired with new leadership spells Year 3 heat. Better to win a few games this March and show a hint of momentum.”

The Kentucky hierarchy is due for a change, with Mitch Barnhart retiring as the program’s athletic director. And any incoming boss will demand better results from Pope, especially at a college program as illustrious and heavily funded as the Wildcats.

Even if Pope doesn’t pay attention, people will draw parallels between Kentucky and Arkansas’ journeys in the NCAA Tournament. If Kentucky loses before Calipari’s Arkansas, especially after the SEC Tournament results, it could turn up the heat on Pope and put his job into question.

Regardless of the Calipari factor, a first-round NCAA Tournament exit for a program like Kentucky will not go down well with the fans, who already doubt Pope’s pedigree to coach the Wildcats to success, especially after how the current season has gone despite the $22 million invested to improve the roster.