Mark Pope calls for improvement to Kentucky defense after Alabama loss

Kentucky‘s defense has been its weakness this season, and Saturday was no exception. After Kentucky’s 96-83 loss to Alabama, Wildcats head coach Mark Pope evaluated his team’s defensive performance.

“Alabama is a terrific team and they put us in tough situations that we didn’t respond well to on the defensive end,” Pope said. “It’s a work in progress. This is growth, guys, we talk about this all the time. It’s fits and starts and this was not our best defensive performance tonight. Mark Sears had a lot to do with that and Alabama had a lot to do with that, and we had a lot to do with that.

“We’re getting down into the stretch run and us getting better on this end of the ball is something that we’re obsessing about and we’re determined to do. If we do it well, then we’re going to have a good stretch.”

Kentucky didn’t have an answer for Alabama star Mark Sears on Saturday. The preseason SEC Player of the Year erupted for 30 points, four rebounds and four assists in the win while shooting 8-17 from the field.

He was far from the only member of the Crimson Tide who found success. Alabama shot 52.5% from the floor and a respectable 35.5% from beyond the arc in the win.

In fairness, Kentucky was without starting guards Lamont Butler and Jaxson Robinson in the loss. Butler especially would’ve provided a boost to Kentucky’s defense. The San Diego State transfer is a two-time Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year and would’ve been guarding Sears.

Nonetheless, with neither player’s return set in stone, Kentucky must find ways to defend without them. Until their loss at Alabama, the Wildcats had been showing strides on defense.

In the team’s previous four games, they’d only allowed 66 points per contest. For reference, Kentucky gave up 82.3 points per game through their first four contests in conference play.

With only four games remaining in the regular season, Kentucky must rediscover its defensive identity. The Wildcats’ postseason success will depend on it.

In ESPN analyst Joe Lunardi’s latest bracketology, he listed Kentucky as the lowest 3-seed in the NCAA Tournament. If the Wildcats have another poor defensive showing, their standing in March Madness could easily fall.

On Tuesday, Kentucky will look to bounce back from its loss as it squares off against Oklahoma at 9 p.m. ET. The game will air live on the SEC Network.