The drought is over.
Under first-year coach Mark Pope, No. 3 seed Kentucky has advanced to the Sweet 16 thanks to an 84-75 win over No. 6 Illinois on Sunday.
The win ends a four-season drought of reaching the NCAA tournament's second weekend under former head coach John Calipari. In Calipari's last four seasons, the Wildcats lost twice as a top-3 seed in the first round, lost in the second round as a No. 6 seed and missed the tournament altogether 2021 after posting a 9-16 record.
The win is cause for celebration in Lexington and for Pope, who returned this season to coach the program for which he played and helped lead to a national championship in 1996.