Wildcats Update

Down 39-32 to Indiana at the half, with boos raining down in Rupp Arena, the Wildcats were really up against it.  But in the second half, UK finally showed a different side.  They seemed to accept that those three-point shots aren't going to fall, and they buckled down to play some hardnosed defense.  They created a physical game, with 42 fouls on both teams, and 67 combined free throws.  This type of rock fight seemed to be much more suited to UK's personnel.  They forced Indiana into 18 turnovers, they had 13 steals, they took 58 shots to only 44 for the Hoosiers.  They also pressured IU into 4-24 shooting from three-point land.  And so, in the second half, UK outscored IU 40-21, and the Cats rolled to a surprisingly easy 72-60 victory.

Time will tell whether this proves to be a false dawn.  But according to Ken Pom, the Cats have the 16th best defense in the country -- the first time since 2019 that UK has been ranked in the top 30 for defense.  For all the complaints about UK in recent years, they've had some really strong offensive teams -- they were ranked 5th in offensive efficiency in 2022, 17th, in 2023, 7th in 2024, and 10th last year.  But their defense has been below par, and that has made them prone to upsets and blowouts that so annoy the fan base.  If they go out there and turn every game into a rock fight, they may yet be able to scrape their way into the Tournament.

For now, they are 7-4 overall and Number 19 on Ken Pom.  Ken Pom has the Cats finishing 10-8 in the SEC, 19-12 overall, and going into the SEC Tournament seeded somewhere between 4 and 7.  To me, that feels like the recipe for a ticket to an 8/9 game in the NCAA's.  But after that disastrous performance against Gonzaga, my guess is that Mitch Barnhart and Mark Pope would happily take such an outcome.  In the meantime, the Classic SEC (without Georgia Tech and Tulane) looks like this:

11.  Vanderbilt:  10-0

13.  Florida:  6-4

15.  Alabama:  7-3

18.  Tennessee:  7-3

19.  Kentucky:  7-4

21.  Georgia:  9-1

29.  Auburn:  8-3

34.  Louisiana St:  9-1

57.  Mississippi:  6-4

80.  Mississippi St:  5-5