4 Discouraging Defensive Stats for the Kentucky Wildcats

The first talking point consuming Big Blue Nation on the day after a Kentucky loss to Ole Miss is the porous defense. The first 20 minutes in Oxford was a sight to behold for all of the wrong reasons.

Kentucky trailed by 23 points, the third-largest deficit in SEC history for a Kentucky basketball team, after allowing Ole Miss to score 54 points. The Rebels made nine three-pointers, one more than their season average, and shot 60% from the field without committing a turnover. It doesn’t get much worse than that.

This Kentucky basketball team was not designed for defense to be a strength. Nevertheless, it’s a weakness that might be insurmountable if they don’t take strides in the right direction. Allow me to illustrate just how bad it’s been, particularly over the last five games.

The Worst KenPom Defense Ever

If you have said to yourself at any point this season, “This is the worst Kentucky defense I’ve ever seen,” you are correct*.

The 2024 Kentucky Wildcats also had a clear defensive weakness. That team finished the year with an adjusted defensive efficiency of 102.9. It was the worst Kentucky defense in the history of KenPom. This year’s defense is even worse with a rating of 103.4, which ranks No. 112 nationally.

* KenPom was created in 1997. If you’re an older fan, there’s a chance you saw something worse way back in the day, but I think you get the point.

Kentucky Doesn’t Force Turnovers

Ole Miss only committed one turnover on Tuesday night. According to Jon Scott from Big Blue History, it’s the fewest amount of turnovers by a UK opponent in recorded history. They started tracking turnovers back in the early 80s.

This isn’t a one-off. Kentucky is the worst team in college basketball at creating non-steal turnovers. They are ranked No. 364 out of 364 Division-I teams. Opponents average 9.8 turnovers per game against the Cats, which ranks No. 338 and dead-last in the SEC. If you need another bad turnover stat, the Wildcats are No. 352 in turnover rate (13.4%).

That’s why it might surprise you that Lamont Butler ranked in the Top 10 in the SEC in steals before he was sidelined. Simply put, Butler is the only Cat who is aggressive and creates havoc in passing lanes. Kentucky has a decent block rate (12.3%, No. 59 in D-I), which means that if Butler isn’t on the floor and they aren’t swatting a shot, the opponent is probably going to get a shot off (and sadly, make it).

Terrible Three-Point Defense

If I told you that Kentucky had one of the best three-point defenses in the country, you’d call me a liar. As of today, the Wildcats’ three-point defense ranks No. 35, allowing opponents to net 30.4% of their attempts. It’s a shocking statistic because it’s been so bad as of late.

In SEC play, opponents are shooting 33.9%. More specifically, each of the last five opponents has made double-digit threes, averaging 12.4 makes per game while shooting 37.1% from downtown. The team that was beating people form behind the three-point line has lost four of five from behind the three-point line.

The Kentucky Two-Point Defense is Actually Worse

Kentucky’s SEC opponents are making 58.5% of their two-point field goal attempts. As you might expect, that’s the worst in the SEC. If you scale it out to the full season, they rank No. 244 nationally.

The Wildcats’ offense is good enough to beat the best teams in college basketball. The defense doesn’t have to be great; it just can’t be this bad.

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