With John Calipari at the helm, Kentucky men’s basketball has always been able to rely on its defense when things weren’t running smoothly on the other end. But over the last couple of weeks, the Wildcats’ defense has uncharacteristically struggled against Southeastern Conference opponents.
Kentucky grades out as the worst defensive team during SEC games so far this season. Both KenPom and BartTorvik rank UK dead last in defensive efficiency among the 14 conference programs. It’s a small sample size — just four games, two of them coming on the road — but it’s quickly breeding a pressing issue.