Kentucky basketball has a standard that comes with being one of the most successful programs in college basketball history. Unfortunately for Mark Pope, his Wildcats are developing a concerning trend of falling well short of it.

Tuesday night's 89-69 loss to No. 15 Kansas was another reminder of how far Kentucky has to go. The Jayhawks controlled the game, capitalized on the Wildcats' mistakes, and handed Pope another 20-point defeat in just his third season in Lexington.

The latest loss also put Pope in some unwanted company with his predecessor, John Calipari. According to ESPN's Myron Medcalf, Pope has now suffered five 20-point losses in 75 games as Kentucky's head coach. Calipari had the same number of 20-point losses in 533 games with the Wildcats, according to ESPN Research. That's a difference of 458 games. It's an alarming statistic for a program that expects to compete for championships, not repeatedly find itself on the wrong end of blowouts.

The comparison doesn't mean Pope cannot turn things around. Calipari built a successful tenure at Kentucky, and Pope still has an opportunity to establish his own legacy. However, the frequency of these lopsided defeats is becoming difficult to ignore.

Pope understands the disappointment surrounding Tuesday's performance and didn't attempt to downplay what happened against Kansas.

“I don't think it's possible to overreact to this loss,” Pope said. “This is a tough loss for us. We did not play well. We did not play up to our standard. We did not deal well with disruption.”

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Kentucky struggled to adjust after early foul trouble disrupted its frontcourt, and Kansas took advantage. The Jayhawks turned 15 Kentucky turnovers into 22 points while holding the Wildcats scoreless off their own 10 giveaways.

Pope's ability to respond to Tuesday's result and get Kentucky back to meeting expectations will remain a major storyline throughout his third season. The Wildcats have plenty of time to improve, but the pressure is not going away.