“Right now, we are kind of in the throes of this brilliant, incredible opportunity. We’re spending some time on our staff and with our team talking about finding moments just to be still, you know, from a religious perspective, you know, ‘be still and know that I am God,’ Pope said, referring to a Bible verse. “From a team perspective, just be still, just find a quiet moment off of your phone. Off of social media where we can be still.”

Pope added that “as soon as I’m done with you guys,” referring to reporters, that he was going to “go take two minutes and be still.”

And Pope is no stranger to Big Blue Madness. He said his time as a player in the 1990’s, helping bring two SEC Championships and one NCAA Championship home to Lexington gave him a clear understanding of the fan base and their dreams of another banner hanging in the rafters of Rupp Arena.

Fans will get a first look at both the men’s and women’s teams this Friday night at Big Blue Madness at Rupp. The sold-out event starts at 7:00 p.m. If you were not able to get tickets, the two-hour event will be televised live on the SEC Network.