This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/kentucky as Mark Pope was proud of Brandon Garrison's response to his recent struggles.

Mark Pope smashed his clipboard and benched Brandon Garrison over a lack of effort during Tuesday’s 36-point win over NC Central. By Saturday night, he was providing crucial minutes in Kentucky‘s 72-60 win over Indiana.

Gonzaga didn't just beat Kentucky in front of a pro-Wildcat crowd. It dominated from start to finish in one of the most impressive and shocking results of the season. Kentucky shot 5 of 31 from the floor (3 of 20 from the 3-point line) during the first half and didn't make its first field goal until nearly nine minutes into the game.

At 0-4 vs. ranked opponents, the current Kentucky men’s basketball head man is not off to a positive start to his second season.

The current plan is for Kentucky to have 12 playable Wildcats out of 14 scholarship pieces on the roster the rest of the way. Those remaining two have a path to redshirt — one confirmed, one still up in the air.

Kentucky's partnership with JMI has gotten a lot of pushback lately, and it's due to multiple factors. One, the basketball program has yet to sign anyone at all