Kentucky Basketball: 5 items on the 2018-19 holiday wishlist for the Wildcats

By Dakota Cox | Dec 21, 2018

BOISE, ID - MARCH 15: Head coach John Calipari of the Kentucky Wildcats reacts in the first half against the Davidson Wildcats during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Taco Bell Arena on March 15, 2018 in Boise, Idaho. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

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LAWRENCE, KANSAS – DECEMBER 18: Lagerald Vick #24 of the Kansas Jayhawks celebrates a basket against the South Dakota Coyotes in the second half at Allen Fieldhouse on December 18, 2018 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) /

3. Kentucky needs wins against quality opponents

The Kentucky that we are used to seeing has always eased through the SEC, beaten good teams in other conferences, and used that resume to prove that they deserve a top seed. So far, they have gone off the beaten path. As previously discussed, UK hasn’t looked that good against quality opponents. When they face Kansas, Tennessee, and Auburn, they have the chance to prove that they deserve a top seed. The reason I added this is because Santa might be able to travel the whole world in one night, but I don’t think he can erase fans of Kentucky’s recent past.

It’s more than just winning, however. Things have to change for this team. Their defense needs to improve, and they need to limit their turnovers. Allowing 70.3 points a game on average with their schedule won’t help when they have to stop Admiral Schofield and Jared Harper. In fact, both Auburn and Tennessee have dynamic duos that will be hard to slow down. At least they don’t have trios like Duke.

Kentucky struggles to turn the other team over on defense. They rely on their paint presence to keep in games. Unfortunately, against elite teams, this strength starts to buckle. This type of defensive system also has a weakness in defending the arc. That bodes well for when they play Auburn. The Tigers have struggles in making threes in their recent games. If that continues, the Wildcats might be able to grab a win to boost their resume looking forward.

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