You have to strip away the branding - the veneer - and see the reality.
If I have the talent, would I want to be trained by an NBA coach, who is an expert on player development, to prepare me for the NBA?

Whereas I don't believe Coach Pope has prepared a single player from either BYU or UVU that landed in the NBA.
That's the reality.

Regarding Kentucky, regarding NBA placement, it's not just about old-school tradition, it's about the current team and that the Wildcats have lost most of their top players and are basically starting over, with a coach who's never placed a player in the NBA.

Outweighs playing for your former college coach - that's a college-level dynamic.

Easy decision.